Reality Is...

Reality is not necessarily what you want to hear, but reality is...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/shootemups-are-good-for-you-say-researchers-2078435.html

In the earlier days of computing when the console games at arcades had the fastest, most capable microprocessors, Fort Knox, home of Army Armor, got the game manufacturers to create realistic games for armored combat for the EM clubs. How well it worked can be measured perhaps by Persian Gulf I: US Armor-all of 'em; Republican Guard 1.

Later, the Army invested heavily in simulation, so much so, a unit could train realistically against another armored unit located half-a-world away. It illustrates why we have not only the best equipment but the best trained, most capable warriors--ever! Kids coming in with the experience and capability of these games is perhaps the greatest underestimated reason we field the most capable military ever, from infantry to fighter pilot.

It supports the reason the United States has not only become the only remaining superpower, but something at least temporarily beyond that--a hyperpower, a world hegemony. Even more remarkable is that we use this power mostly for good, not taking and holding land and peoples.

It is reason the US is hated and loved, but please note, we are having to build fences to keep people out, not in as did the Soviets. Other countries take our example as lessons and thrive. The poverty class has been halved in Asia in the last thirty years because they mimic our organizational capability, spirit and industry. We deploy much more than jeans, McDonalds and Hollywood.

The shame is we seem embarrassed by our success and do self-detrimental things to destroy ourselves. We have grown out of truly distasteful things in our past such as slavery and treatment of native Americans, but we have also matured into perhaps the greatest thing to have happened in the history of mankind. And we don't seem to know it.

In some sense, it is not only because of the microprocessor, but in how we've used it. Gaming is what people do in graduate school and in bedrooms. It leads not only to staffing the greatest military, but the greatest economy ever-the one the rest are trying to emulate. China and India have discovered and now exploit the greatest asset they had all along--their people--the asset we've done so well at developing.

It's amazing that investing in people becomes so beneficial for the people, for the society, for the civilization, and the government.

Tis the Silly Season

Not much real news the last couple days. The Republicans campaign on "We're not Democrats." The Democrats claim "We're not Bush." That's news?

Some wacko in Florida holds hostage the major figures of the non-War on Terror up to and including the Commander-in-Chief, and they don't know what to do about it. The media fans it like kids egging on a fight in the schoolyard. We're waiting, Mr. Prez. Got a clue?

The Secretary of State claims our debt and deficit place us in a disadvantage in foreign affairs. Really? Could that be true? With China the largest holder of US debt and manipulating their currency to give them trade advantage, we beg them to improve the situation, they ignore us, and we are afraid to correct the situation by simply placing a tariff on Chinese imports because they might dump our debt--and that prevents us from acting in our own best interest?

Makes one wonder how civilization has gotten this far if our fearless leaders cannot figure out and handle this simple situations. What are they going to do with the tough ones? I wouldn't expect it to go much better, but that's just a personal opinion.

BP 1; EPA 0; Greenies 0.

"Government scientists studying the BP disaster are reporting the best possible outcome: Microbes are consuming the oil in the Gulf without depleting the oxygen in the water and creating "dead zones" where fish cannot survive." REF

EPA failed to test dispersants in the 20 years since Exxon Valdez, so restricted BP's usage by 75% because it "might" hurt something. Unknown to EPA, apparently, the Brits had tested it and approved unlimited usage outside of 10 miles of coast. After EPA restriction, the oil came ashore.

Is EPA more responsible for the damage ashore than BP?

Greenies opposed any use of dispersant because they wanted all the oil to come to the surface so it could be seen. Instead of minimizing damage to the environment, they apparently wanted to maximize it to make points. With friends like them, the environment doesn't need enemies.

The plumes of underwater oil thought so horrific turn out to be so diluted one could swim through a plume without realizing it. Seems it takes mass spectrometry or other sophisticated chemical analysis to detect the oil in the plumes. Most just failed to mention this little fact. Wonder why?

These criticisms in no way should be interpreted as exonerating BP of the shoddy engineering practices in their attempt to save money. They blew it and we all will pay for it--including BP--but not including the EPA and greenies. I just wanted to assure EPA and greenies got their full and just credit. They did so much.