Just for inspiration—– pl
RSS- China signs deal with Russia to build a power plant on the moon — potentially leaving the US in the dust
- The natural resources deal between the U.S. and Ukraine creates a fund, but the details are in an undisclosed limited partnership agreement
- Open Thread – 12 May 2025
- Soldiers’ remains reinterred
- Habemus Papam!
- Kashmir crisis live: India missile attack kills eight; Pakistan official says two Indian fighter jets shot down
- The Art of Dealing With Trump
- “We cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation”
- ARMY’S FIRST MOBILE BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM PREPARES FOR JRTC
- DOE: Eleven Big Wins for Nuclear in Trump Administration’s First 100 Days
My first thought was famous Hollywood star.
Virginia Madsen is a fetching lady.
What’s with the new graphic ‘doohickies’ attached with our posts?
All
I don’t know what the little graphic thingies mean. This is a Typepad thing. Cute, though. pl
J
If you join Typepad to follow SST and you have included a pic in your profile, that pic will appear in the graphic window every time you are posting.
Since most of us want to maintain our “privacy” :-), we don’t join or give any data (include a wink here)
Gadzooks!
Good God man, what path does a man have to take in life to come across an All-Woman girl like that?
Clearly, I have strayed into a dark forest and the right path appears not any where.
I do hope this civilized post means that Colonel Lang has abandoned his numerical rating system of beautiful women. O happy day, Colonel!
Mary
I’d rate Madsen at about a “12.” pl
She was great as Dolly Harshaw in The Hot Spot.
All right Pat, how do you rate Блестящие
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Su8P2gkfmI
My meter reading has gone from analog to digital and pegged off the charts. LOL LOL
The picture of Madsen is much better IMO than her performance in The Haunting in Connecticut movie.
If she were in a G-String the Colonel would be in ER.
Great. Now I have to go to confession because that confounded temptress has kindled ungodly thoughts! 🙂
uncertainty prevails as to the criteria, but if culinary skills are at all relevant:
http://www.celebritywonder.com/picture/Giada_De_Laurentiis/GiadaDeLaure_A__Wyman_14319525.jpg
From Open Thread to G-String! … Freudian slip?
Ok, here’s my question/topic. I’ve heard from a friend that the stats on illness, even mortality, of people who retire from a long military career (20 yrs plus) are very bad. Not referring to health issues related to injuries sustained in combat, but rather change of lifestyle, less structured, what do I do now sort of thing, likely depression.
If the stats actually are anything like what my friend says, and he should be in a position to know, then it is serious public health issue, completely under the radar of media attention. And might be beneficial to focus on it.
That info is for Cdn forces. Can anyone give further data? Yeah, I know, go look it up! Taking the lazy man’s way on an open thread weekend.
Thanks!
ps. I kinda like the graphics thingies.
Didn’t Meghan McCain just get in trouble for this sort of thing?
Finally, back to string theory!
I forgot what I was going to write…
Ken Roberts:
I think the statistics that you are alluding to are not indicative of a causal relationship.
There are millions of people, mostly male, that can live reasonable and productive lives in highly structured environments. That is, situations in which they are told when to get up, what to eat, when to eat, when to sleep, and what to do in between.
It is a fallacy of the Enlightenment Tradition that elevates personal liberty to the status of a semi-religion, thus ignoring the large percentages of people who cannot carry the burden of that liberty.
The military forces, the prisons, and other such organized environments are providing suitable situations for people who cannot – through any fault of their own, deal with being Free.
Recidivism of criminals must be viewed in such light; something known to many a warden.
Inspired not think.
Second that on the The Hotspot, sd nadh, if that’s the movie in which a young Jennifer Connelly disrobes down by the old swimming hole.
Maybe there is a God.
If you haven’t seen a Prairie Home Companion, you should.
While her “assets” are indeed admirable, I think it would be a better topic to talk about the issue of Jamie Leigh Jones who was gang raped by KBR (Hallibuton) employees.
Ms. Jones apparently cannot bring criminal charges against KBR or Halliburton because of a binding arbitration clause in her employment contract.
The United States military continues to do business with Halliburton and KBR to this day.
Apparently rape is now a matter for “arbitration” rather than criminal prosecution because the United States military is so completely dependent upon private contractors.
Babak …
Thanks for your comment. Guess I was not clear with my question. Let me try again…
1) Does anyone have info (stats or just gut feel) about higher than expected rates of illness or death among people who retire from a military career (arbitrarily, say 20-years plus)? After adjusting for injuries received. My intent is to focus on normal retirement, not the side effects of combat.
2) If so … it seems to me we have a public health problem. Political stance implicit in that … there is a tendency to dismiss the ailments of old soldiers as “goes with the territory”, relegated to a special department veterans affairs, not part of “public”. Which categorization I reject. And is opportunity for public discussion, reorientation of attitudes.
3) My mention of change from a structured environment was just a hypothesis of a possible cause. Perhaps suggesting some ways of approaching problem (if there is one).
Just trying to gather info. Not my field. A member of the public, those to be made aware, if in fact there is a matter deserving of more support by the public. My query on this matter is directed to this group, simply because of your expertise and this is an open thread. Well off topic of general run of these discussions.
Agree with Babak serious comment. Still somehow motivated by the POST by PL to go on reading SST!
Was it “Escape From Freedom” Eric Hoffer (?) that argued that modern life often resulted in Babak’s point. What is “freedom” of course? Maslov had four levels of need which once satisfied allowed Mankind to do his/her best! Always hoping for the best and of course SST is part of all that. Still VM in almost profile does perk my interest.
reminds me of India and China in the news lately.
Big economic beasts.
Look good together.
Provoking furious thoughts, but wish we could all just get along.
J.: It’s my fault. I sorta posted from ‘nother dude’s blog (guy we’re familiar with) & ’em “doohickies” sorta “infected” the Col.’s site.
Otiwa Ogede: LOL! Unfortunately ’em beasts aren’t (economically) even like this beau’s though. Hhmm… & my do they look absolutely delicious…
oo, Those have to be American, damn it, not everything is off-shored, the last vestige American exceptionalism.
Col. Lang:
Ah. The return of the tingle. Wonderful. Who needs ‘thingies’ when you have her.
Ken:
If I were to look up that problem, and I’m confident it’s been studied, I’d go to the research on stress. I don’t think it’s so much a group problem as it is an individual reaction (governed, in part, by a normal curve) to the stress associated with the change associated with retirement.
Further, that you find large numbers of people experiencing dysfunctional complaints after retirement probably has more to do with common factors that resulted in their being selected into the military in the first place. An unintended consequence of joining up, as it were.
Solutions would range from retraining (reentry), which is being done now, to establishing groups with which the retiree can affiliate, viz., existing veterans groups are an example, which have similar characteristics to the group from which the person is retiring.
I’d be also be interested in looking at prevention, i.e., finding factors during the initial selection process that are associated with stress related breakdown after retirement which can then be addressed during training. This is what the military is doing now with regard to suicide and suicide prevention. (As I read their work, however, they have not yet acknowledged that suicidal behavior is ubiquitous and has a “normal” baseline. This is always a problem when you’re trying to cope with these kinds of public health issues.)
my wife kinda of looks like her, b/ i married her for her hi paying job & her steady paycheck 🙂
Ken,
Funny you should bring this up since I’ve been wondering about this for years and years.
Sorry, I don’t have any real numbers for you, but I could swear that the overall health of a lot of retirees drops pretty fast after retirement. I’ve known a couple of lifers who were six feet under within a couple of years after getting out.
Anyone else see this, or am I just delusional again?
Back when I was still in, all of us in my unit had our blood pressure taken by some nurses that came in from outside the military (I think they were with the Red Cross? Maybe it was for a blood drive.). The nurse, or health tech, who took my BP told me that she typically sees much higher rates of hypertension in active duty people compared to civies.
Mine was elevated back then even though I was in much better shape. Guess it’s kind of a low level stress all the time even in the easier jobs.
@William R. Cumming: I think you’re referring to The True Believer, where Hoffer argued at one point that certain types of people join mass movements for the feeling of structure that they get. He quotes a Nazi who joined that group to be “free from freedom”.
Will:
Thank God that you did not write: “I married he for smarts and intellect.”
Richard Armstrong
30 Republican senators voted against a bill that would allow female contractors to sue if they were raped, as Jamie Jones was. Everyone should read Mark Morford’s column of Oct 16 at:
http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/morford/
Colonel Lang, Babak,
“It is a fallacy of the Enlightenment Tradition that elevates personal liberty to the status of a semi-religion, thus ignoring the large percentages of people who cannot carry the burden of that liberty.
The military forces, the prisons, and other such organized environments are providing suitable situations for people who cannot – through any fault of their own, deal with being Free.”
It is contributions like this that keep me coming back to SST. I don’t feel so alone.
Nightsticker
USMC 1965-1972
FBI 1972-1996
An impressive woman. However, I got more inspiration from the sunset viewed from my patio just a while ago.
YMMV
Mr. Cumming–it was Dr. Eric FROMM that wrote the Freedom book. Hoffer was the brillant, ex-west coast longshoreman, philospher. Both are tremendous thinkers and though dated should be well read in our current day
Col.
LOLZ. That is all.
Mr. Cumming, the “Freedom” book is by Dr Eric Fromm. Hoffer was a brilliant ex-west coast longshoreman, self-taught in philosphy. Both offered excellant social commentary and saddy are hardly read today–tgeur writings still relevant today.
Thanks for your comments everyone. Some interesting ideas. Effect of self selection – though regardless I think there is basis for proactive work. First two years as most important period coincides with what I have heard.
One factor not mentioned by others, but important I believe, is “what is my role”. That is, not just the lack of structure in day (escape from freedom and such), but also need to have societal duties. Retired soldiers were in a tradition of service, and then are put at loose ends. Only some can fill in with family, hobbies etc. So it’s not just the legion as solution. Should be asking retired to perform meaningful service; should pay too!
Glad to hear that men, at least men like the Colonel, don’t automatically scratch women pushing fifty off their list of who’s hot.;~)
Pat Lang,
Having stopped by this Posting on a semi-regular basis since it first appeared, I can report being inspired.
I have a whimsical military question for anyone who has an answer or comment. What’s with the goofy unit designations that seem to be the style in the army these days? The favorites seem to be a few Indian tribes, an assortment of fierce creatures, and warlike expressions. I can visualize a mission statement something like, Pottawatomi Bn/Venus Flytrap Bde will attack with Vampire Bat Co on the left and Paiute Co on the right to secure Obj Perpetual, Enduring and Everlasting Freedom. A lame attempt at satire, no doubt, but it is something I’ve been wondering about.
WPFIII