As The World Spins

All links below via Goodshit, the brilliant NSFW website I brave every  day (and twice on Sundays)  in search of interesting information.

While life continues here in Disneyland the United States of America, Iranians look death in the face while protesting for limited measures of democracy and liberty that’d make me go Galt.

And in other news, rural Chinese possess almost nothing while surviving in grim circumstances.Oh, and China’s treatment of its citizens make Gitmo look like fun.

Back to Disneyland now.  This just in – Jimi Hendrix was awesome.

I feel sad for people who have to judge Jimi Hendrix on the basis of recordings and film alone; because in the flesh he was so extraordinary. He had a kind of alchemist’s ability; when he was on the stage, he changed. He physically changed. He became incredibly graceful and beautiful. It wasn’t just people taking LSD, though that was going on, there’s no question. But he had a power that almost sobered you up if you were on an acid trip. He was bigger than LSD. What he played was fucking loud but also incredibly lyrical and expert.

We’re fortunate to be able to research the important stuff, such as establishing the common sparrow as the world’s most promiscuous bird.  Really.

This bit is fascinating, and upsetting – drone warriors suffer more war related stress and trauma than soldiers in the combat theatre.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: One drone pilot told SPIEGEL ONLINE that they suffer from just as much stress and trauma.

Singer: Yes, all this doesn’t mean we’re not seeing all sorts of new stressers. In the beginning we feared that drones may make the operators not really care about what they’re doing. But the opposite has turned out to be true. They may almost care too much. We’re seeing higher levels of combat stress among remote units than among some units in Afghanistan. We found significantly increased fatigue, emotional exhaustion and burnout. Drone operators are more likely to suffer impaired domestic relationships, too.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What explains this stress?

Singer: There are different theories as to why. Traditional bomber pilots don’t see their targets. A remote operator sees the target up close, he sees what happens to it during the explosion and the aftermath. You’re further away physically but you see more. Also, the drone war takes place 24/7, 365 days a year. The war doesn’t stop on Christmas. It’s like being a fireman when there’s a fire every single day, day after day after day. That’s emotionally and physically taxing. On top of that, many units are understaffed.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Don’t drone operators have it easier, commuting home every day?

Singer: No, there’s a disconnect. You’re at war, and two minutes later you’re changing your brain and you think about football practice with your kids. Drone units don’t show as much cohesion as traditional units. The whole unit used to share the emotional experience. Now there’s no “band of brothers” anymore.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: But isn’t the fact that drone operators are physically safe from war the whole point? Doesn’t that ease combat stress?

Singer: Not at all. I once talked to an Air Force sergeant who flew drones. She told me how they watched US soldiers on the ground being killed. They could only circle above and watch. There was nothing more they could do.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Which consequences does the drone war have for the nations that lead them?

Singer: War used to be a very serious decision. Now we don’t even declare war anymore. We don’t pay war taxes, we don’t buy war bonds. Now we can carry it out without having to deal with some of the consequences of sending our sons and daughters into harm’s way. It also changes the way politicians think about war. You already have society’s barriers against war dropping, and now you have a technology that takes the barriers to the ground.

You’d think the country that brought us the Kama Sutra would have more interesting information to publish than this boring drivel about finding sexual position best suited for you.

Technically speaking, sex is a weird peculiar thing: we have two people sitting in positions that seem to defy the gravitational laws, puffing and moving rapidly while they are exchanging fluids. Sex can, in fact, become fatiguing and unpleasant as it equally is satisfying and beneficial.

Really, India, sex is weird and peculiar?  I think it’s awesome.  I wish you, however, that you will describe the positions that “defy the gravitational laws.”  Yes, that is a challenge to you, Times of India . . .

Finally, Meet the Finn that would “send Rambo to the cleaners.”

Socio-Political, TV