A bit of a collection this evening

A therapist in Denmark puts down what he learned while dealing with moslems, inmates and others. Among other things,
The Islamic expression of "holy anger" is therefore completely contradictory to any Western understanding. Those two words in the same sentence sound contradictory to us. The terror-threatening and violent reaction of Muslims to the Danish Mohammed cartoons showing their prophet as a man willing to use violence to spread his message, is seen from our Western eyes as ironic. Muslims’ aggressive reaction to a picture showing their prophet as aggressive, completely confirms the truth of the statement made by Kurt Westergaard in his satiric drawing.

This cultural difference is exceedingly important when dealing with Muslim regimes and organizations. Our way of handling political disagreement goes through diplomatic dialogue, and calls on Muslim leaders to use compassion, compromise and common sense. This peaceful approach is seen by Muslims as an expression of weakness and lack of courage. Thus avoiding the risks of a real fight is seen by them as weakness; when experienced in Muslim culture, it is an invitation to exploitation.
...
The locus of control is central to our understanding of problems and their solutions. If we are raised in a culture where we learn that "…I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul," as William Ernest Henley wrote in his famous poem Invictus in 1875; we will, in case of personal problems, look at ourselves and ask: "…What did I do wrong?" and "…What can I do to change the situation?" People who have been taught throughout their entire lives that outer rules and traditions are more important than individual freedom and self reflection, will ask: "Who did this to me?" and "Who has to do something for me?"
An interesting piece of work.


The Soviet Union nearly lost the war in 1941 and suffered from poor planning, according to Marshal Georgy Zhukov in the frank television interview that has been banned since it was recorded in 1966.

Zhukov, the most decorated general in the history of both Russia and the Soviet Union, admitted that Soviet generals were not confident that they could hold the German forces at the Mozhaisk defence line outside Moscow.
...
After arriving at the front, Zhukov found that the defences in place were "absolutely insufficient".

"It was an extremely dangerous situation. In essence, all the approaches to Moscow were open," he said. "Our troops on the Mozhaisk defence line could not have stopped the enemy if he moved on Moscow."

"I telephoned Stalin. I said the most urgent thing is to occupy the Mozhaisk defence line as in parts of the Western front in essence there are no (Soviet) troops.

Shortly afterwards, Stalin phoned Zhukov back to inform him he had been made commander of the Western Front.
The article says this interview was ordered destroyed, but one copy was missed- or hidden- in an archive.


You are a contemptible lot, over yonder. Some of you are Commissioners, and some Lieutenant-Governors, and some have the V. C., and a few are privileged to walk about the Mall arm in arm with the Viceroy; but I have seen Mark Twain this golden morning, have shaken his hand, and smoked a cigar— no, two cigars— with him, and talked with him for more than two hours! Understand clearly that I do not despise you; indeed, I don’t. I am only very sorry for you, from the Viceroy downward. To soothe your envy and to prove that I still regard you as my equals, I will tell you all about it.
From an interview of Twain by Rudyard Kipling.


Remember those new scanners, that we're not supposed to be bothered by? Nothing too intrusive of privacy or modesty or anything? Great Big Fail. Combined with an idiot-level TSA supervisor, and other TSA versions of a retarded Officer Fife. Which caused Tam to point us to this marvelous piece of work on the subject, from which I will ste- borrow a bit:
There is so much fail expressed there by Willard Shepard and Brian Hamacher that it makes me want to punch kittens and swear at boobies. “Oh, gosh, it sure is funny that these bumbling fucksticks who can’t even make it through THEIR OWN FUCKING TRAINING with any sort of professionalism, dignity, or impulse control suitable to avoid going to jail will be looking at the genitals of everybody trying to get on an airplane! That’s right comedic right there!”
You really should read it all.


And now, I think I shall, first, go out and play with the dogs, and then load some .45 ammo to replace what I shot up today.