The Devil wears no underwear...

I saw it. The great Glenn Close (sorry, Meryl Streep) movie, The Devil Wears Prada. Citizen Une suggested the flick and (having dragged her to more than a few very weak testosterone fests) I readily agreed.

The evening was sponsored by the efforts of der uber Citizens (my folks) who were wending their way through our humble town. Nothing says I love you like taking care of grandkids.

The movie was well crafted, scene after scene featured realistic and rich interiors and capable acting. This was particularly true for all the secondary charatcers on the fashion side of the house. There was such a realism that I suspected each of them had lived for a time in that VERY tight circle that is international fashion. The origins of the story are more interesting in and of itself.

The movie (unlike the book - two primary characters are completely remade for the purposes of liberal, sanitary Hollywood), is at its heart, a fairy tale. Young upstart form the Midwest arrives in big bad Manhattan to make her mark. Complete with the Mark O Mod 1 Hollywood cadre of friends (and by that I mean completely balanced from a diversity perspective and with a range of entry level Manhattan jobs), our heroine dives into the dark world of hyperactive executives commanding far too much in the way of spending. Her friends are worthless and her chef (hello children) boyfriend appears to have the easiest restaurant schedule on the planet.

I did not find Ms. Close (sorry - Ms. Streep) that awful. Her understated manner was very convincing. To be certain she was a bit of an abusive jerk, but at her level of autonomy she was somewhat entitled. I doubt anyone in the heavy duty publishing (advertising) field is too far off that mark.

So in general, a solid "B" for entertainment. Anne Hathaway is easy on the eyes and the pace never lags. There are some interesting secondary stories about product placement in the movie. Ultimately, I found the movie to be dated. In the era of the Internet and micro-trends, the old standby fashion magazine no longer reigns as the crowning source of all fashion. The fashion industry itself is relatively small in impact (despite what the movie would convey) across the globe and may in fact be a larger contributor to its misery than say, fast food providers.

Waht is missing is any complexity to round out the story or any realization by the main character that her pursuit of all that is fashionable reflects a part of her own desires for success and fame.

Choise Schmoice...

Wow, CNN Money is winging about too much choice! Author, and FORTUNE contributor, Marc Gunther, waxes nostalgic about the benefits of limited choice.

I think the explosion of choice has left us poorer in at least two arenas.
The first is journalism. (Yes, as a Fortune writer, I've got a stake in the
health of the mainstream media, which bloggers call the MSM.) The network
evening newscasts, big-city newspapers and the national news magazines once had
the money, access, skills, commitment and power to deliver lots of original
reporting and put important issues on the national agenda. Today, they are all
diminished.

To pick a single, timely, example, The Tribune Co. announced just the other
day that its newspapers would be closing foreign bureaus in Johannesburg,
Moscow, Lebanon and Pakistan. This is happening all over newspaperdom and it
happened years ago at the broadcast networks.
Yes, there is more information
available to us than ever, but I don't think we are better informed. Niche media
will, inevitably, continue to weaken mass media.
The second arena where we
are worse off is politics. This is related to journalism, as the moderate and
responsible (okay, bland) voices of the MSM get drowned out by partisan,
opinionated cableheads and bloggers.

Politics in America has become polarized for many reasons, but a big one is
the fact that people can now filter the news and opinion they get to avoid
exposure to ideas with which they disagree. Anderson suggests that this could
well be a temporary problem, and that if the major parties continue to move to
the extremes and the quality of debate continues to deteriorate, the Internet
could well enable a new party or parties, to arise.

Humph. Pardon me while I wipe my eyes. As a staunch free marketer, I have little sympathy for the “left behinds” of our world. Although I do agree that the proliferation of choice serves to drive a social balkanization of our society. There is no overriding “mass appeal” culture to which we can homogenize the globe.

Homogenize the globe! Shout my more liberal readers (both of them), that’s socialism! Ah hah! We knew it! You’re just a communist in disguise! Perhaps, however, allow me to clarify. I believe that there exists a “best way” to do things. This is perhaps a flaw of my engineering background, or maybe my insanely over inflated ego.

I don’t believe that all societies are equal, or that all people are equal. I do believe that all people should be afforded equal opportunity and are entitled to some primary rights (the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness). If we take an optimized approach to our analysis of any system, then we discover that there is a best way to do things. An old joke once had the punchline that heaven was where the engineers were German, police were English, and the cooks were French. Hell was where the police were German, cooks were English, and the engineers were French.

A stereotype, to be sure, but it underscores the fact that somewhere, someone does something better than others. This applies to societies. While the US is certainly imperfect, I would list it at the top of societies for meeting the needs of humanity. It is tolerant, free, adaptable and inclusive. Other societies may have some institutions which are better, but these are marginal improvements (or require too significant a compromise in other critical areas – see freedoms).

But to the point of choice, if an individual is exposed to the wide variety the globe has to offer, what would they choose? If they had an equal understanding of all that choice before them, what would they elect? Some marketing genius has pointed out that when consumers are offered more than six choices, the proliferation of choices actually has a negative impact on the decision process.

Do you have too many choices? Or do the choices you have in your society (recognizing that this may be read in areas outside the USA) enhance or degrade your quality of life or worldview?

All Aboard for Travel Blogging...

Well, my good friend Scoot is showing off his travel blogging skills.  If you haven't visited, check out his site.  He has a great set of photos and commentary on his boondoggle (I mean academic learning experience) to the United Kingdom.  Major John over at Miserable Donuts also has some great shots and stories from his time in Afghanistan.  Admittedly, not a top travel destination.  Which brings me to the topic at hand.  The blog as vehicle for travel, not just into other locales but other ideas. 

 

One of the great aspects of the computer age is the ability to blur reality and the imagined.  There are literally millions of people who invest a lot of their time in activities which are purely simulated (MMORPGs, extended online communities, etc.).  Many of these folks have just as much commitment to the "virtual" world as the events of the real world, perhaps more.  Personally, I am an adventure hog.  I find some of the same mental thrills in gaming and simulation as I have found in the real world, although the lack of physical feedback is still a huge deficit (where is that holodeck, anyway?  And if it existed, would we cease to exist as a society? - think the Matrix).

 

But I digress.  What I would like to do is expand the roster of blogs represented here on the site.  I have encountered a few which are worthy of linking simply due to their diversity and perspective.  I am not talking about political or themed blogs, I am more interested in blogs that reflect an individual's view of the world.  To me this would permit an even broader window into our rapidly shrinking world.  I have two challenges, they must come recommended from readers, be real (i.e. no fabricated characters, teen drama, etc.) and reflect a personal viewpoint.  If we could get some international perspective, all the better.  For those who haven't, check out Big Pharaoh. 

My mother-in-law the car...

What do you do when your MIL (mother-in-law) starts chatting up your impressionable son with dubious poliltical nonsense? Children at the 1-2nd grade level seem to have a desire ti understand the order of things. They spend time researching the Presidents and talk about how laws are made they want to understand the rules of things. They are also very perceptive.

When my MIL starts to inform one of the Proto-Citizens that our present president has taken more vacation than any other president, I feel compelled to offer commentary while controlling a six year old Mazda MPV as it hurtles along a midwesterrn freeway. Both Citizen Une and myself have widely differing views on politics and the world we live in (read diametrically opposed). And yet we work hard to make sure that the Proto-Citizens have an opportunity to develop their own world view, and usually we learn something also.

Even now they have no idea that "occassionally Daddy has to go and fight a war". Which is overdramatic to say the least. I have not been hunkered down as MAJ John or CSM Bones have been, closest was in the NAG on the oh so lovely OPLATS. However, the reality of our world is changing.

So when my MIL, who was under the impression that CITGO sold only US pedigree gasoiline and routinely forwards the latest internet legend as gospel, chimed in with her personal political peeve - how do I respond? I want her to engage and educate the Proto-Citizens (she is actually quite sharp in many areas). And yet, plowing through nonsensical tripe with an eight year old seems unfair.

Any thoughts, dear reader?

Happy Birthday to me....

Mmmmm....cake. Angel food to be precise. Citizen Une and the proto-Citizens provided a fine repast for my natal day. Now if I could just find that reverse chronology juice I ordered off of the Uraguayan online pharmacy. I am certain I could get back into my parachute pants.

To all the others who fail to share the same glorious day of arrival as John Cusak and Henry VIII, I say a very merry unbirthday.

Mardi Gras in Haditha...

I am about to wander far out of my designator. The recently declassified information snippet on Iraqi chemical weapons from the office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is intriguing. It addresses munitions which clearly appear to be pre-war components. Loaded chemical artillery shells, chemical primaries and the like are most assuredly dangerous in the hands of an opposing nation or terrorist group.

The volume of material found indicates that the Iraqi’s either had no control of their weapons stockpiles or blatantly deceived the UN and international inspection teams. A condition of the Gulf War cease fire was the dismantling and destruction of all chemical arms and submission to monitoring. Seems like that did not happen.

Iraq’s record of violations are clear and not in dispute. Their desire to appear “more dangerous” than they may have been was also clearly driven by the delusional and dangerous Hussein regime. Their material support of Hezbollah and other groups is also not in dispute. While the right will decry the left’s continued denial, one thing is clear. The discussion of WMD (chemical agents are actually WME – Weapons of Mass Effect -> grateful acknowledge to MAJ C. USMC (ret)) is now one for historians and analysts. What matters is our effort and progress in Iraq.

We must continue our civil rebuilding program, training of Iraqi forces (mostly building a strong NCO cadre) and thwarting the Iranians from interfering with the process adversely. Ridiculous resolutions thrown on the Senate floor belie the ignorance of our elected officials in managing this arduous process.

We are deeply involved in a MOOTW (Military Operation Other Than War). We are constrained by very specific ROE (Rules Of Engagement) and facing an irregular force. Determination, patience and ingenuity are our best tools.

Huh, sounds like New Orleans.

Weapons, online...

North Korea is taking a shot at us. They are preparing to launch their Taepodong 2 missile. It is a weapons system with a 2600 mile range and nuclear warhead capability. It is a serious threat to global security. Having sat in the Fifth Fleet FCC (Fleet Command Center) while Iran tested a number of their equally dangerous Shahab missiles, the risk to the world is VERY real.

Fortuneately, the US has continued to purse missile defense as a part of our national security strategy. The Missile Defense Agency was headed at one time by RADM Katherine Page, a member of my Navy community. The ability of our forces to respond to missile threats has increased dramatically from the early days of the program under the Reagan administration.

Why is this important?

It is important in that systems and tactics which we are developing now may not appear to be necessary or useful to the American public (or even Congress). However, it is the future for which we are developing our defensive capability (note that our military is overseen by the civilian run Department of Defense - vice the original Department of War). The threats we will face in the next decades will range from the truly assymetric (Islamofascist assaults on computer infrastructure) to the traditional (nation on nation aggression - likely against a US ally).

Haditha...

Well it seems that the complexity that is the event in Haditha is increasing. The WaPo reports (via Reuters) that defense lawyers are working to establish the credibility of the video tape shot by the Hammurabi Human Rights and Democracy Monitoring group which providied the initial lead on the November 2005 battle.

There is certainly sufficient information to conduct a detailed investigation, however, there was never enough data to rush to judgement in the case, as had been done in the media and via Sullivan. Scoot has proffered to me several well written arguments for the inevitable collapse of civil liberties and the arrival of jack booted thugs at the doorstep of every left leaning American. I still can't even come to a basic level of agreement.

Perhaps District Attorney Mike Nifong (warning link to Bill O'Reilly!) was part of the initial team of investigators?

Happy Flag Day...

Just a reminder of one of our lesser noticed holidays. Flag Day is a chance to remind oneself of the power of symbols.

Haditha Roundup...

I have a post I mean to get to about a very good thing. Alas, I feel it necessary to post this link about a very bad thing. Greyhawk, within whose MilBlog Ring I reside, has a good review of the events leading to the Haditha story as it now exists.

Mudville Gazette - Haditha Signal To Noise

The story, it seems, is very murky. There is much information which is missing and at first glance may even be incorrect. We shall see. If actions by Marines in Haditha prove illegal, then justice should be brought to bear, fully.

If it is wrong, who will fight for the Marine's honor?

PS - I stand by my comments about Rep. Murtha.

Mexican Radio...

Well Air America has been pulled from the format at WWAA here in beautiful Atlanta. The fact that a VERY liberal town (after all we are home to Rep. Cynthia McKinney featured in the Atlanta Film Festival's Blackout) could not sustain this format is not surprising. I have often pointed out that a liberal agenda is very hard to distill into a simple, supportable philosophy.

Some of its tenets translate very well, aid to the poor and maintaining rights for all. But these are not enough to rally the masses. Hence the huge problems for liberals in developing a sustainable base. A conservative message, by its very nature, is easier to promulgate.

Air America's lack of success is directly related to its inability to appeal to a mass market. It has nothing to do with the talents on the air (except Randi Rhoades). I think Franken is a funny guy. I also think he is sincere in his beliefs. If you read a little of his biography, you get the sense of the strong, north-midwestern upbringing which solidified his ideals. Sadly even in Milwaukee, no affiliate has been able to be found.

Having done a short stint in network radio - that's a long story! The challenges of garnering audiences with a handful of marginal AM stations is almost overwhelming. The catastrophe that is programming for AM radio (now arriving at FM's doorstep) has been rolling since FM entered the scene in the 1970s. I would contend that the audience numbers purported by Air America are largely fictitious. Arbitron and RADAR figures for AQH (average quarter hour) consistently post Air America dead last in major markets.

Citizen Un was heartbroken to hear about Air America's demise. Thankfully, it still plays on satellite and a quick setup of XM in the AAV (Atlanta Assault Van) should return the joys of liberal snarkiness to her ears. Air America has been plagued with problems. Not the least of which was content, marketing and scandals. At the end of the day, one has to wonder whether launching an old school media enterprise in the age of the internet was such a good idea after all?

I actually think I can hear the execs at NPR breathing a sigh of relief...

One down...

Forces from the United States of America today dealt a serious blow to the ongoing criminal activities of Islamofascists in Iraq today. With the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi at the explosive end of twin 500 lb bombs precisely delivered by Air Force F-16s, the external face of 7th century hatred has been erased. Although now claimed as a martyr by many zealots, his death should instead be remembered as a just end to a butcher of innocents.

Having just come from a stellar course in combined air operations, I can only imagine the network of sources and units involved in finding, fixing and finishing this individual and his band of thugs. What will undoubtedly be the new cry from the disconnected media is why didn't we arrest him? A decent question, except that I am certain US and Iraqi forces were more interested in ending his ability to exercise command and control. His actions made him a legitimate military target, and apparently now a successfully prosecuted one.

My one true regret is that the inestimable Iowahawk will now have to seek out a new proxy voice for al-Qaida.

Semper Fi...

Mostly it's because the Marines are a part of the Navy that I feel so strongly about this topic. It is also due to the fact that the discipline exhibited by our forces, around the globe, has almost always been exemplary. You will not find US soldiers engaged in unseemly acts against resident populations. Why is that? The LA Times, not my favorite newspaper, has a nice OpEd piece about some of the culture of the Marines.

But it is more than that, even during the brutal years of our nation's genesis the armed forces of the United States exhibited a certain moral standard unmatched by other nations. During the battles with the Barbary pirates, the Marines earned the moniker "no worse enemy, no better friend".

Personally, I believe that the notion of our very founding (Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness) speaks volumes to the behavior of United States citizens worldwide. It's not that our philosophy is the best in the world, but it is markedly better than the rest. Soldiers serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, the Horn of Africa, Haiti, Korea and other troubled spots around the globe have demonstrated what a well trained, professionally led military should be.

In my comments about the reprehensible Rep. Murtha, I labeled him a traitor for his broad generalizations of the actions of Marines involved in the Haditha incident. My assessment of this "public servant" remains. In time, the details of the events of that terrible day in November will become clear. Including reasons for any obscuring or concealing of facts from proper authority.

The Marines involved have my loyalty as a brother in arms, just as the families in Haditha have my sympathy for their losses.