Merry Christmas Mah Peeps

I guess now is as a good of a time as any.

Merry Christmas to you and yours and I hope for a fantastic and safe transition to the next decade for you guys.

Pregnant soldiers punished.

She's an interesting one, and I think it highlights the "down side" of having a higher percentage of females in combat zones. When you consider Vietnam, Korea, and the Dubya Dubya's the contact they had with chicks was minimal. They were either mostly local nationals, whores, or nurses. But the nature of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and increase in female frontline roles has created a need for controversial rules of engagement, so to speak.

Check this article out.

Coupla highlights:

"A US general based in northern Iraq has defended his tough punishments for soldiers who get pregnant or impregnate a fellow soldier.

[...]

The Stars and Stripes military newspaper reported that seven US soldiers, including three men, have already been punished under Gen Cucolo's November 4 policy statement.

They received letters of reprimand that will not remain in their permanent military file.

Under his new rules, which have unleashed a fiery debate, violators are threatened with criminal charges or even a court-martial.

They apply both to women who get pregnant and men who get female soldiers pregnant, even if the couple is married.

"How dare any government say we're going to impose any kind of punishment on women for getting pregnant," National Organisation for Women president Terry O'Neill told ABC. "This is not the 1800s."

Gen Cucolo defended his decision as a means to help guard against the loss of valuable female soldiers. US troops get sent back home if they become pregnant.

Gen Cucolo currently commands around 22,000 soldiers in northern Iraq, about 1700 of whom are women.

"I need every soldier I've got, especially since we are facing a drawdown of forces during our mission. Anyone who leaves this fight earlier than the expected 12-month deployment creates a burden on their teammates," he said in a written statement."

Agree or disagree?

The future of books

Your standard novel destined to die off for unnatural obsession we have with everything electronic?.

All the encyclopaedia ... 's ... ii ... whatever, are dead and buried. Would that make libraries even MORE valuable than they are already ... eventually?.

I just can't stare at a screen to read large volumes either. So what do you think. Books gonna give way to convenience and profit, or they here for ever?.

Google Wave Impression

Alrighty, had a play with it and it's unnecessary. Would be EXTREMELY handy for business related in-office info sharing or a staff idea jam sesh for whatever, but for the individual or group of friends a combo of Twitter and Skype works better.

"Waves" get clogged down with dozens of messages and it's nearly impossible to keep up unless you're in 'a convo loop'.

Get it if your office uses email to communicate, don't bother as a tool for yourself.

Avatar (no spoilers)

Just a FKN excellent movie. Whoever visualized the imagery is a fucking genius. There are no surprises with the story line, but it doesn't matter, it's just FINALLY something spectacular at the cinemas.

If you even have a twinge of being a movie buff, or wanna see something special, go and see it.

9/10. 1 point down just for predictability, but 9 points up for awesomeness.

No Clean Feed. Why Not?

Doc pointed out that sounds like a dodgy feed from a kebab shop.

I actually don't have a drama with it as long as it works right and only filters out the dodgy shit that is classified "Refused Classification" by the ACMA. Coz we're talking about criminal information and images here.

So what's the drama with it?. Excluding it not working correctly and blocking innocent websites.

...and before anyone says it, I don't have a drama with "Refused Classification" if there ends up being an 18+ gaming classification.

The value of the individual.

It's interesting, I heard an American basketball player who plays for a local team that JUST gained Aussie citizenship talking about the value Australia and UnZud place on humans being a large part of his decision to gain citizenship.

He mentioned how where he was born the price of life is VERY cheap and that made me think it was almost reflective in the US judicial system with sentencing being ASTRONOMICALLY harsher than anything we've even come close to since hanging was knocked on the head, so to speak.

'White Colar' criminal sentencing is a joke, I'm sure most of us agree, but is the judicial system of countries a reasonable gauge on the value countries place on the individual and their civil liberties and why do you think we generally, as a society, apparently value each other more than other nations might?.

The Photocopier

Got this in an email.

Journalists in War Zones.

It perplexes me. The story of Nigel Brennan and Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout highlight an on going issue with journos in war zones. I guess technically Somalia isn't a war zone, but really, you're fucking suicidal if you go there. I mean really, how arrogant could you be?.

I've seen DOZENS of videos of journos being blasted to pulp by various versions of military/gunmen. Some you can't help but think 'mate, I saw that coming a mile off'. Really, hiding behind a bank with a camera pointing at a tank 500 yards away is gonna get you on the recieving end of a HE shell. How are they supposed to know it's not a rocket on your shoulder and/or that you're not gathering intel.

The other side of it the horror of your family seeing you on the news with your legs shot out from under you so you can be used as bait. Or your kids googling your name when they're old enough only to see you with your head being bent BACK and sawn off with a dull knife.

I'm glad Mr Brennan got out 'okay', but really, you're a dumb arse dude. Arrogance will only get you killed in shit holes like that. Maybe consider using local journos.

Yes, maybe we do need to hear about the plight of the locals, but really, people only stop for a minute and go: "What a shame for his family" when you're dead on the news, and you're story dies with you.

Hitler rants about The Blunt Instrument

Ok, this may seem a fraction ego-testical, but this was well recieved and I wanna put all the comments regarding it together for eg-masturbation further down the track when it gets forgotten. And it's mine, STFU, I can do what I want.

I had to put em here coz Blogger comments can't exceed 4096 characters, apparently. I can't be FKD figuring it out into 4096 character blocks.

These are from Birmo's cheeseburgergothic.com

-------------------------------------------

By Bangar, December 6, 2009 @ 6:13 pm

Congrats are in order.

By Moko, December 6, 2009 @ 6:14 pm

lol Thanks mate. I must point out it’s for funny’s, and not a shot at anyone. Just using things that are currently topical for us.

By Abe, December 6, 2009 @ 6:14 pm

I needed to use my daughter’s ventolin I laughed so hard.

By johnbirmingham, December 6, 2009 @ 6:21 pm

I’ve fwd’d the link to a couple of insiders at BT who’ll get a giggle out of it too.

By brian, December 6, 2009 @ 6:26 pm

Oh that’s a pisser that is. Got a lot of dirty looks from the missus. Ahhh . . . .jeez . . . .gold . . . .pure fracken gold.

Seriously . . . .shoulda had that up before we got JB’s interview on Instapundit.

Suggestion. Next interview have a shoe on the desk. Nikita had a sense of style.

By Abigail, December 6, 2009 @ 6:31 pm

Moko, I think I love you- Titanium standard.

By Abigail, December 6, 2009 @ 6:33 pm

And now we’ve got Ladies and Gentlemen’s Quarters. More titanium. Ahh you guys, that’s hilarious.

By Medway, December 6, 2009 @ 6:39 pm

Gold.

By Nautilus, December 6, 2009 @ 7:12 pm

Sheer, unadulterated, 64 caret GOLD!!!!

Now THAT’S what the internet was invented for!!

Oh and porn and xbox online gaming but they go without saying.

Moko, that has made my day.

By Quokka, December 6, 2009 @ 7:12 pm

FKN hilarious.

By johnbirmingham, December 6, 2009 @ 7:18 pm

Moko, the BT subs LOVE it.

By Abigail, December 6, 2009 @ 7:24 pm

I think even Bruno Ganz would love that one.

By Moko, December 6, 2009 @ 7:34 pm

JB, lol excellent.

By fknvirty, December 6, 2009 @ 7:53 pm

well done mate, it’s a hoot and a nice touch (the re-edited captions) to an older piece of imagery. forget the name of the original, it wasn’t comedy, some serious bavarian film studio re-enactments i think. my sister in law works in the euro film/ entertainment industry and sends me snippets from time to time.
kow tows and appreciation of the energy involved. pz.v.

By sparty, December 6, 2009 @ 7:56 pm

Oh my that was fantastic!

By Lobes, December 6, 2009 @ 8:04 pm

All Godwins aside that was fkn LoL funny

By Moko, December 6, 2009 @ 8:07 pm

lol Thanks Lobes, thanks guys.

Virt, about 6 hours from start to posting. It’s called Downfall. Think it was a mini-series.

By Catty, December 6, 2009 @ 8:11 pm

My teenager has just bookmarked the site so she can show all her twittery high school friends.

By Moko, December 6, 2009 @ 8:26 pm

I feel bad about the language now…

By Mayhem, December 6, 2009 @ 8:35 pm

Awesome, and don’t feel too bad about the language, Most teenagers have heard/said it all before.

By uamada, December 6, 2009 @ 8:41 pm

fantastic… pure gold

By Abigail, December 6, 2009 @ 8:47 pm

Oh man, Downfall was a brilliant film. Bruno Ganz realy does it.

Anecdote: I went to see to with somebody I had just broken up with- ha! We had the tix and I guess we were still clinging on to the (whisper, whisper ,,,relationship).

LOL. As far as I was concerned. LOL.

By Abigail, December 6, 2009 @ 8:48 pm

Moko- Teenagers swear like its hell day.

By Timmo, December 6, 2009 @ 9:07 pm

Frigging pissing myself out loud hilarious…

…so much so that my flatmate came to see what I was watching. Sadly I had to explain it was something of an in-joke and would take a bit much explaining required to make it funny.

Wow, 6 hours worth? Thanks, Moko!

By Abigail, December 6, 2009 @ 9:53 pm

Timmo, same here. Really wanted to tell people but they’d just shrug.

By Catty, December 6, 2009 @ 10:29 pm

I tried to give the teen a brief explanation and was informed that she has been posting on Blunty for months. She won’t tell me her screen name. So I confiscated her mobile phone.

By jennicki, December 7, 2009 @ 12:00 am

Jaysus fkn Christ Moko. I’m wiping tears away. I laughed so hard I may have woken up all my neighbors.

Frickin GOLD, mate.

By mckinneytexas, December 7, 2009 @ 12:41 am

That was a home run, amigo.

By Paul Nicholas Boylan, December 7, 2009 @ 4:45 am

I am fucking not worthy. I loved it.

And, let us not forget - it is funny because it’s true.

By Moko, December 7, 2009 @ 6:26 am

Thanks hepas guys. Glad it was taken as intended. *phew*

By Abigail, December 7, 2009 @ 7:40 am

Moko- can’t speak for anyone else here, the more things get sent up, the more I love it. That’s what’s so gold about being here.

By sibeen, December 7, 2009 @ 7:55 am

Bravo, Bravo I say.

Deserves a standing ovation

By Leo euler, December 7, 2009 @ 12:19 pm

Lol! That was funny.

Fun fact: “Steiner” is German for “Sydney.”

Or is it? lol.

By Catty, December 7, 2009 @ 1:34 pm

Sorry, Moko, what with the teenager and all, I forgot to mention that you are a legend. Onya!

By Quokka, December 7, 2009 @ 2:33 pm

Will there be awards this year?
Like the logies?
Moko should have a Golden Goat or something on the mantelpiece for this.

By Moko, December 7, 2009 @ 3:14 pm

Thanks Catty, and Leo.

By Jaden3, December 7, 2009 @ 4:25 pm

Pure genius, Moko.. And oh so true.. laughed my head off..

By Barnesm, December 7, 2009 @ 6:59 pm

THAT IS FRAKING BRILLIANT

any chance that could be Tuesdays BT

By Abigail, December 7, 2009 @ 7:36 pm

It’s like that Downfall scene was made specifically for Moko’s work because the other ones just aren’t all that funny after the first 40 seconds- one trick ponies, whereas Moko’s told a story.

By Bangar, December 7, 2009 @ 8:43 pm

Barnes, it’s a thought.

How wars start

Someone's an arsehole.


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