epiminondas writes:
- Don’t worry so much about those mispronunciations and malapropisms…theirs or yours.
- Steve Sailor discusses the historical contrasts between the land and sea powers of ancient and modern times.
- There aren’t many trees that can boast self-ownership. Here’s one.
- Henry Morton Stanley is one of the least understood of the famous 19th century explorers. Now you can understand him a little better.
- The future of brain implants is right on our doorstep. And its implications are far-reaching and unpredictable.
- What might happen if you were a passenger on an airplane that disintegrated in the air over the Amazon jungle and you were the only survivor? What would you do? Well, it actually happened in 1971 and here is the story as documented by German director Werner Herzog. His style is a bit heavy-handed (Wagner???), but the result is worth seeing.
- Simply amazing time-lapse photography of Yosemite National Park through the cycle of the seasons.
- David Stockman gives us his analysis of the last 100 years of the welfare/warfare state. It’s not a pretty picture. Long article, but quite interesting, nevertheless.
- Our love of cabernet sauvignon can sometimes take us to absurd displays of trendy obeisance. And this has been noticed by many gourmands who are now thumbing their noses at the almost ubiquitous brands like Silver Oak. Especially Silver Oak.
- French photographer Charles Marville captured the mid-19th century atmosphere of France, Italy and Germany through the eyes of a genuine artist. He began taking photos in the 1850s and continued his passion for faithfully recording his world until his death in 1879. His photographs of the outlying areas of Paris before they were developed are particularly interesting as they give us a graphic look at the way the ordinary French worker lived. The best way to see his photos is to do a Google search of his work and flip through the represented pieces.
Blowhard, Esq.
Callowman
Sherbrooke
Eddie Pensier
Enzo Nakamura
Epaminondas
Fabrizio del Wrongo
Fenster
Brundle Guy
Glynn Marshes
Paleo Retiree
Atypical Neurotic
Question Lady
Sax von Stroheim
Sir Barken Hyena
The Mistaken
Uncouth Reflections 
I think Stockman is a bit deranged. His understanding of the Soviet/US tension post WW2 leaves a lot to be desired. His failure to appreciate Soviet malevolence is astounding. BTW his lauding of Eisenhower’s Economic policies is idiotic. The reason why the Cuban Missile Crisis was so serious is because the U.S. had few options except to “go nuclear” in case war broke out. The reason why this situation arose is because the U.S. wanted a “cheap” superpower status. A large army costs a lot and the U.S. could not afford it’s guns and butter policy in the 50’s. Some bright spark in Washington put forward the notion of spending less on manpower and relying on cheap nuclear weapons. Men like Le May were deeply disturbed by all this.
The threat from the Russians was real. Communism was an evangelical expansionist heresy. Le May argued for more money for the military because he felt that the country needed to have several options available to it in case of Russian aggression. Relying on nuclear weapons as a cheap defense limited the options to the General Staff to all or nothing. Fucking accountants.
Oh, by the way, when it came to Vietnam, nearly all the Chiefs of Staff, including LeMay, argued against it, it was Kennedy’s best and brightest who pushed ahead. Over time, Johnson and McNamara purged the Cheifs of staff until they replaced it with yes-men. See McMaster’s Dereliction of Duty. He places the blame squarely on Camelot’s maggots. Le May is one of the few generals who behaved honourably.
The Old Man gives his two cents here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTlbhcksugk
He starts talking at 8:40
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I agree that Stockman has a blind spot with regard to communism. It was/is messianic and dangerous, and he is gullible if he thinks Stalin was going to make nice. Even had Hitler never come to power, Stalin would still have been a huge problem. The murder of 30 million can’t be swept under the rug anymore.
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