Taping of farm cruelty is becoming the crime – Business on NBCNews.com

Posted on 7. April 2013 by Perry

This is sad and ridiculous. So much the sadder as our legislators, on both sides of the aisles, driven by money, sell out their constituents and decent human values.

But a dozen or so state legislatures have had a different reaction: They proposed or enacted bills that would make it illegal to covertly videotape livestock farms, or apply for a job at one without disclosing ties to animal rights groups. They have also drafted measures to require such videos to be given to the authorities almost immediately, which activists say would thwart any meaningful undercover investigation of large factory farms.

Critics call them “Ag-Gag” bills.

Taping of farm cruelty is becoming the crime – Business on NBCNews.com.

This is one more example of the desperate lengths that those in power will go to to secure campaign contributions and how they lock out their real constituents from any thought.

Categories: hypocrites, Media | 1 Comment

Women winning the war for nursing jobs in Texas

Posted on 6. April 2013 by Perry

Here’s a quick viz I made with the new version of Tableau 8, basically following the demo we saw at the Tableau on Tour last week.  Cool tool all around.

And yes, its a subject near & dear the heart. @TXMisteeRN teaches both men & women to save lives and not be a dumb nurse. ‘Cause you sure don’t want a dumb nurse.

Categories: Fun, Texas | 1 Comment

Leave out what’s skipped but say what you have to

Posted on 17. March 2013 by Perry

There’s a lot to disagree with George Will about.  This column is not one of those things.

When asked to explain the brisk pace of his novels, Elmore Leonard said, “I leave out the parts that people skip.”

via Zinsser wishes more students would learn the art of good writing | MailTribune.com.

And good on him for celebrating longer sentences that express complete thoughts.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: | 2 Comments

Staff size and DoD overhead » Gunpowder & Lead

Posted on 17. March 2013 by Perry

Here is a great reflection from Gunpowder & Lead’s Jonathan Rue on the staff bloat in DoD, spurred by a report on the arguably bloat-champion and undeployable F-35.

But it’s laughable when people act like the budget can’t be cut by another penny. To make that claim is to either betray an ignorance of how the Department actually spends money or put political ideology before analysis.

read the whole thing at  Staff size and DoD overhead » Gunpowder & Lead.

This has been a problem (probably since forever) in the Army since the shooting started.  One very frustrating aspect for me is that the very set of generals and leaders that had to fight for people on their way up seem to forget all that once they are established in a headquarters.  When they have the option to design units, they remove all redundancy, cut drivers and clerks, and then pull extra people from the units trying to get things done.

On the way to Iraq, the 4th Infantry Division headquarters was pulling combat power from us at the last-minute.  Much like the staff sections that made us reassign pistols for their convenience but then wanted to carry rifles they hadn’t qualified on in Iraq, the 4ID TOC reached into units they’d constructed too small and took assets from them.  These same leaders then, seem to think it’s fine to throw out doctrine in deployment distances and times, and go back to the same well for manpower over and over again.  Pretty soon you have Generals Casey and Odierno telling congress they don’t need more men but want money for programs while the same troops go back into theater over and over again.

Categories: hypocrites, Iraq, Military | 2 Comments

No MilBlog conference this year – Vote for “Carrying the Gun” in the MilBloggies

Posted on 16. March 2013 by Perry

March 16, 2013

A note from T. McCreary

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Military.com has enjoyed bringing together military bloggers and military spouse bloggers for seven years with our MilBlog conference.  The networking and camaraderie that took place as milblogging evolved from a small group of voices giving first person accounts of the war and the effects on the family, to a front and center resource and recognized media medium, was superb.

As we entered planning for this year’s conference we realized that much has changed in the military environment, in the new media environment and in the economy.  As such, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the MilBlog conference.  We know that many of you will be disappointed and we understand that this was an event you looked forward to and planned for, but we also know that this is the right thing to do today.

The good news is we still plan to hold the MilBloggie Awards, although they will be held totally online as they were in the beginning.  We’ve spoken with JP Borda and nominations will begin Monday, April 22, 2013 and final winners will be announced Wednesday, May 8, 2013. Winners will still receive an engraved award and will be featured on Military.com.  We look forward to honoring those who are continuing to speak for the military community through their prolific blogs.

Thank you for many wonderful years of gathering together. We will continue to look for creative ways to service the military media community by being part of other new media events.  Thank you for all that each and every one of you do to document, detail, and celebrate the military. Your writing has changed the way in which people view those who serve and their families.  You’ve commanded an audience with a president and national security advisors and warranted the presence of the military’s highest levels of leadership at the conference.  You’ve put faces on the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coastguardsmen; and you’ve allowed America to see the challenges and benefits of military life.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to Sarah Blansett on our staff at sarah.blansett@monster.com.

Sincerely,
T. McCreary
President, Military.com

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Categories: Military, Tech | 3 Comments

Vet who saved many in Iraq couldn’t escape demons

Posted on 16. March 2013 by Perry

Tragic story about the impossible task set for mental health providers in theater and the toll it takes.  I remember hearing and clicking through the “provider resilience” training when I was working with the Medical Command.

“For the record, Pete Linnerooth did not want to die,” McNabb says. “He just wanted the pain to end. Big difference.”

via Vet who saved many in Iraq couldn’t escape demons – Yahoo! News.

What kind of chain of command asks three people to be responsible for the psychological help for thousands?  Oh yeah – the same kind of command that insists it’s okay to deploy young people over and over while whining about more money for non-working equipment and cutting troops.

Categories: Iraq, Military, Veterans | 3 Comments