Aggravated Links
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.Breakfast Link
- The 5 Best James Bond Books. Excellent list. I have no arguments. Honorable mention: Live and Let Die. Thanks Neutronbeam.
- 'It looked like something I had already eaten!' The 15 worst reader bakes of lockdown. Thanks RedEye9.
- A sneak peek of Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge.
Stories
- What Beer Sales Tell Us About The Recession.
- First woman to complete modern Green Beret training set to graduate this week. Thanks Roddy.
Science
Thanks Max.
- Our animal inheritance- Humans 'prick up their ears,' too, when they hear interesting sounds.
- Branched Flow of Light Observed for the Very First Time.
- Behind the dead-water phenomenon.
Media
- Guinness World Record Biggest Firework, Successful Launch.
- Stairway To Gilligan's Island - Led Zeppelin - Classic TV theme. Thanks Boing Boing.
- BA DI DO DA DE.
Follow-up
jdreyer wrote on Jul 9, 2020, 15:24:I don't think that's what they said, if I understand correctly (which is why I mentioned I was looking forward to a full explanation) they returned the case to the lower court because some part of the case was not properly adjudicated.RedEye9 wrote on Jul 9, 2020, 10:41:Yeah, but they ruled in Trump's favor in Trump v. Mazars, so the congress can't look at his taxes. That was really the important one, as it would have been another big blow to his re-election chances had they leaked. Which pretty much seemed guaranteed.
Scotus rules! dRumpf tax & financial records must be turned over to grand jury.
womp womp
RedEye9 wrote on Jul 9, 2020, 10:41:
Scotus rules! dRumpf tax & financial records must be turned over to grand jury.
womp womp
RedEye9 wrote on Jul 9, 2020, 10:41:Looking forward to a complete explanation of the referral of the House case back to the lower court.
Scotus rules! dRumpf tax & financial records must be turned over to grand jury.
womp womp
MoreLuckThanSkill wrote on Jul 9, 2020, 00:41:jdreyer wrote on Jul 8, 2020, 15:58:
I found the following SEAL team physical fitness stats here.PST Event . - Minimum Standards - Competitive Standards
----------- - ----------------- - ---------------------
500 Yd Swim - 12:30 . . . . . . - 8 Minutes
Pushups 2M. - 50. . . . . . . . - 80-100
Sit-ups 2M. - 50. . . . . . . . - 80-100
Pull-ups. . - 10. . . . . . . . - 15-20
1.5 Mile Run- 10:30 . . . . . . - 9-10 Minutes
Although this sounds pretty hard, it doesn't really comport to what former SEAL Jocko Willink has said on various podcasts. He actually went into SEAL training being able to do most of that fitness test and found it woefully inadequate. IIRC, he said training has involved hundreds of pullups, thousands of pushups and situps, 20 mile runs, etc.
This illustrates my point, I'm sure she could do whatever the green beret requirement was, which was probably LESS than the Navy SEALs one, which is actually doable for me at 40+. Cutter's GI Jane reference I referred to as not a valid measurement, because the actual military doesn't have obscene strength requirements, just endurance and general fitness requirements, which are actually easier to do when smaller. The real life female green beret probably flew through those basic requirement tests. (not to be confused with whatever Green Beret version of Hell Week there is)
Cutter, there is no affirmative action like you seem fear in the military, they will take anyone gullible or poor enough to join up. The Special Forces requirements are a bit higher, but not superhuman. The US military's main problem these days is most of the candidates, male and female, are too fat and out of shape, so they've been dropping physical requirements for decades. It hasn't been the best of the best, since... ever. Unless you have a major chronic condition requiring regular doses of medication, you can probably stumble into the military. That's about all they wash people out for now.
“Out of all the reasons that we have future soldiers disqualify, the largest – 31 percent ― is obesity,” Maj. Gen. Frank Muth, head of Army Recruiting Command, said Wednesday at AUSA’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
...
Researchers found that of the 29 percent of young Americans who have a high school diploma, no criminal record and no chronic medical issues, just 17 percent would be qualified and available for active duty, and 13 percent would qualify, be available, and achieve a satisfactory score on the Armed Forces Qualification Test.
Frijoles wrote on Jul 8, 2020, 21:30:Rectal Prolapse wrote on Jul 8, 2020, 19:13:
Blue, I have a pair of these and maybe they can help prevent future injuries:
https://www.amazon.com/VIVO-Universal-Adjustable-Extension-MOUNT-ARM01/dp/B07TVVX3VL
Get an ergonomic keyboard, also. Night and day difference for me. Used to have pain all through my arms and wrists. All but gone now.
Rectal Prolapse wrote on Jul 8, 2020, 19:13:
Blue, I have a pair of these and maybe they can help prevent future injuries:
https://www.amazon.com/VIVO-Universal-Adjustable-Extension-MOUNT-ARM01/dp/B07TVVX3VL
jdreyer wrote on Jul 8, 2020, 15:58:
I found the following SEAL team physical fitness stats here.PST Event . - Minimum Standards - Competitive Standards
----------- - ----------------- - ---------------------
500 Yd Swim - 12:30 . . . . . . - 8 Minutes
Pushups 2M. - 50. . . . . . . . - 80-100
Sit-ups 2M. - 50. . . . . . . . - 80-100
Pull-ups. . - 10. . . . . . . . - 15-20
1.5 Mile Run- 10:30 . . . . . . - 9-10 Minutes
Although this sounds pretty hard, it doesn't really comport to what former SEAL Jocko Willink has said on various podcasts. He actually went into SEAL training being able to do most of that fitness test and found it woefully inadequate. IIRC, he said training has involved hundreds of pullups, thousands of pushups and situps, 20 mile runs, etc.
Rectal Prolapse wrote on Jul 8, 2020, 19:13:
Blue, I have a pair of these and maybe they can help prevent future injuries:
https://www.amazon.com/VIVO-Universal-Adjustable-Extension-MOUNT-ARM01/dp/B07TVVX3VL
Thank you to everyone for their comments and messages raising awareness about a former employee at Ted Todd Insurance. Their behavior in the video is in direct conflict with our company values and their employment has been terminated.
jdreyer wrote on Jul 8, 2020, 15:58:I assume the first stats you gave were for single sitting fitness test. I'm sure there are many hundreds of pullups and thousands of situps during many weeks of Seal training...
Although this sounds pretty hard, it doesn't really comport to what former SEAL Jocko Willink has said on various podcasts. He actually went into SEAL training being able to do most of that fitness test and found it woefully inadequate. IIRC, he said training has involved hundreds of pullups, thousands of pushups and situps, 20 mile runs, etc.
jdreyer wrote on Jul 8, 2020, 14:09:
There's a quote I read a few years ago that goes something like this: the human brain has more processing power than all the CPUs in the world combined. I don't know if that's true any longer, but it gives you an idea of the power of 86 billion neurons. I was having a particularly vivid dream the other day when this quote came to me, and I realized in the dream that my brain was basically developing a narrative based video game with 4K photorealistic graphics in real-time. Think about it: your brain does in real-time what it takes a team of 100 people years to accomplish. Kind of mind-boggling.
MoreLuckThanSkill wrote on Jul 8, 2020, 14:16:
I should finally get around to watching West Wing then, thanks jdreyer.
As far as the female green beret: Not sure about special forces groups, but some regular branches do have separate physical standards in the US military, Cutter. For the fictional film GI Jane reference, few people can solo pull a 250 pound man out of a burning tank, that's not a requirement for military service, in any nation. Most of the requirements for military service in the US and most nations really, are a joke. Pushups, situps, running in very easy amounts/times. The special forces requirements are higher, but the hard parts are still teamwork based and shooting based, parachute training, etc. Nothing requiring insane amounts of invidividual size/strength, just endurance. The article says she's like 5 feet tall, so she probably aced all the isometrics and running/swimming with no problem, can probably shoot better than 90% of the population, and is a smaller target overall. Also, the Green Berets are not a part of the Canadian military, so why would you care? :o
MoreLuckThanSkill wrote on Jul 8, 2020, 14:16:
I should finally get around to watching West Wing then, thanks jdreyer.
As far as the female green beret: Not sure about special forces groups, but some regular branches do have separate physical standards in the US military, Cutter. For the fictional film GI Jane reference, few people can solo pull a 250 pound man out of a burning tank, that's not a requirement for military service, in any nation. Most of the requirements for military service in the US and most nations really, are a joke. Pushups, situps, running in very easy amounts/times. The special forces requirements are higher, but the hard parts are still teamwork based and shooting based, parachute training, etc. Nothing requiring insane amounts of invidividual size/strength, just endurance. The article says she's like 5 feet tall, so she probably aced all the isometrics and running/swimming with no problem, can probably shoot better than 90% of the population, and is a smaller target overall. Also, the Green Berets are not a part of the Canadian military, so why would you care?
PST Event . - Minimum Standards - Competitive Standards
----------- - ----------------- - ---------------------
500 Yd Swim - 12:30 . . . . . . - 8 Minutes
Pushups 2M. - 50. . . . . . . . - 80-100
Sit-ups 2M. - 50. . . . . . . . - 80-100
Pull-ups. . - 10. . . . . . . . - 15-20
1.5 Mile Run- 10:30 . . . . . . - 9-10 Minutes
jdreyer wrote on Jul 8, 2020, 14:01:My favorite West Wing moment -- one of the staff (Josh) is suffering from PSTD after a shooting incident, and after a break-through with a psychologist has this conversation with the chief of staff (a character who is a recovering alcoholic) :
PSA: The West Wing has been streaming on Netflix for a while now. It features an excellent ensemble case anchored by Martin Sheen, and Aaron Sorkin's dialog is so smart and snappy. Very entertaining, and also a nice reminder of how a "normal" administration is supposed to operate.