Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Surrenders in the Pacific | Pacific Paratrooper

Once the Emperor gave his speech for peace, the Japanese gave their surrenders across the Pacific, but not all went as smoothly as the one held on the USS Missouri. As late as 31 August, according to U.S. Intelligence reports, the Japanese refused to believe the surrender reports and ambushed a SRD party and three of the Japanese were killed.

Source: Surrenders in the Pacific | Pacific Paratrooper

U.S. Navy SEAL Teams: Origins and Evolution 1942-1962 | Defense Media Network

UDT Small Submersible Navy SEALs trace their capability origins back to four formidable legacy units formed during World War II. They were the Amphibious Scouts and Raiders, formed in August 1942 for amphibious reconnaissance and commando operations in Europe and the South Pacific; Naval Combat Demolition Units (NCDUs), assault demolitioneers formed in June 1943 and trained almost exclusively for beach obstacle-clearance operations at Normandy and Southern France; Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs), combat swimmers formed in December 1944 to conduct hydrographic reconnaissance and demolition of obstacles before amphibious landings throughout the Pacific; and the maritime operators of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Source: U.S. Navy SEAL Teams: Origins and Evolution 1942-1962 | Defense Media Network

Marine Raider Battalions: 70 Years Ahead of Their Time | Defense Media Network

U.S. Marine Raiders February 2012 is the 70th anniversary of the Marine Raider Battalions, a brief but glorious episode in the long history of the Corps. Because they existed only two years, one might downplay their influence on the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) U.S. special operations forces (SOF). However, as we look back on the Marine Raiders seven decades later, one can see that they were simply a good idea whose time had not yet come. Their story is a compelling one that deserves to be told.

Source: Marine Raider Battalions: 70 Years Ahead of Their Time | Defense Media Network

Heroes To The Left….Heroes To The Right

In Saner Thought

Memorial Day weekend and we here in the US celebrate the ‘heroes’ that gave their all for their country….

We all have our idea of who were the heroes this country should celebrate….some are not as heroic as you might think and then there are heroes that you probably never heard of at any time….

The label ‘hero’ is overused these days….

And there is where I pick up the meat of this post…..

We begin this lesson on heroics with Hugh Thompson…..

Hugh Clowers Thompson, Jr. (1943 – 2006), was part Cherokee, descended from survivors of the Trail of Tears. Raised in Georgia, Thompson was a Boy Scout from a religious family whose children were taught discipline and integrity. In their corner of the segregated South, the Thompsons stood out for their opposition to racism, and for standing up for and helping people of color. In his youth…

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What really happens to your plastic recycling?

Wibble

Many of us spend time carefully sorting our recycling. But what actually happens to the plastic waste we put out for collection? Greenpeace UK enlightened me on this subject a short while ago. There’s no WordPress ‘reblog’ button on their site, so, after checking with them it was OK to recycle their words, I had to do it the old-fashioned way….

Take action on plastic pollution

Tell Boris Johnson:
Fix the UK’s plastic waste crisis – stop dumping our plastic waste on other countries; cut the UK’s single use plastic by 50% by 2025; and roll out a Bottle Return Scheme.

(The original page that I copied this from has a widget, at its foot, that invites you to sign the Greenpeace UK petition to the UK’s Prime Minister — I don’t know why it’s at the foot of the page, it’s easily missed there; in fact, I had missed…

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Choose your battles wisely (especially when transcribing)

Wibble

When I wibbled about machine transcription a few days ago, I concluded that it was perhaps still too much in its infancy to be of any use. However, I thought I would give it a second chance, as I’ve no doubt that I will want to transcribe content from videos in the future, as I have done in the past. And I’m glad that I did, because my second test revealed that my decision to ignore the advice given me by Sonix (the transcription software I used) was, uh, shall we say, “unwise.”

Transcript: Ah, ah, Aaah, Aaagh, Aaaaagh, AAAAAAGH.
FX: *THUD* … *wind scattering ashes*
“He chose… poorly.”

Why I take the time to transcribe content

In my first attempt at machine translation, I made several mistakes, and they led me to a bad result — and a worse conclusion. Allow me to begin again, from the top (or…

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A fascinating clue about why my attempts to create good habits to workout & eat better have failed for years…

The Chatty Introvert

Lately I’ve been catching videos in my YouTube feed from Obese to Beast (which I think is rather interesting and I like his measured approach to analyzing things and answering questions). He made a reaction video to a TED Talk about women’s inability to lose weight. I listened to a couple of minutes of it, then I clicked off and dug up the original video so I could listen without commentary.

And I listened to it again.

I popped a Midol and listened a third time (barking dog free).

And so many things began to make sense.

It’s a new version of “the problem that has no name” for women. And it’s not exactly unknown, but some kind of feeling. A feeling that at certain times of the month, we feel like we can take on the world and our energy is so helpful. And at other times we’re more…

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Dream Where Life Begins

Grounds For Hope

(To my kiddo)

I can’t tell you who you are to be
One thing I know for sure, 
Is that you must DREAM. 
Dream and BELIEVE, my dear. 
Fly over clouds, have no doubts
About the strength of your wings.
Dream, my darling, where life begins. 
Be in the moment, and if it’s okay, REPEAT.
Live on the edge cause that’s where the heart beats.
Until an engine is running, until the wheels roll.
NEVER GIVE UP, my darling
Never at all.

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