Dogs of War
Hey folks! I have a busy day, so I have just a couple of items for you to check out.
For a few months now, I've been saving up links from SpaceWar. Every week, they run a new piece in a series called "Dogs of War", which is about military contractors. They're editorial pieces, not strictly hard news, but they're very interesting. Here are few of the better ones from the past few months.
Cost-effective: Myth or fact? - One of the common criticisms of the use of private security contractors, and other types of military contractors, is that they're overpaid; but this piece goes into a bit deeper analysis than the normally ignorant rhetoric.
The Founding Contractors - Did you know that there have been private military contractors in the United States since at 1607? This piece explains some of the lengthy history of contracting.
Back to Africa - Modern military contracting started in Africa. As Iraq winds down, many have speculated that the future of contracting could include a return to Africa.
Contractors vs. Genocide? - Sending a national military in to solve a problem can be a politically difficult move. In severe human rights crises, what if some entity, either a country or an international body, paid to send private security contractors in to even the odds?
When I was living at Zoo Station, I had this chair that I loved. According to the box, it was a "bentwood chair", but that search always failed to give me an actual result on the Internet. I eventually found that Target had the same thing, and I've been meaning to order it for the last couple of months. Well, a while back, I was describing the chair to one of the guys at work, and he not only put a name to it, but also mentioned that it's originally a product of Ikea. This evening, I ordered my very own Poäng chair. It's cheaper than the one from Target because it doesn't include an ottoman; but I wasn't that wild about the ottoman in the first place, and I'm sure that I can use either the Crypto King's coffee table, or find something else altogether. Given that the original chair from Bed Bath and Beyond is back in Hometown at my parents' place, I'm colossally stoked to be replacing it. Also, assuming that I have the bedroom in shape before that, and have moved the cot in there, that will give me standard seating for no less than five people in the living room, with expansion to nine with the dining room chairs, eleven with my folding camp chair and papasan ottoman, and even more if one or two couples double up on seating in the papasan chair and the LoveSac. Do I know enough people to have ten other humans in my place? Of course not... But I might be able to scare five or six people up. Now, not only do I have seating for them, but the place is clean enough to actually invite them over! Sweet!
Do you ever watch Chuck? If you can get over the fact that the CIA and NSA don't actually work within American borders, it's friggin' awesome.
Oh, and one more thing: look at that economic data in the third paragraph of the Fly Report. Best exchange rate we've had since around the time that yours truly was in England? Oil nearing a mere hundred dollars a barrel? Economic quagmire, my ass!
Alright, folks, time for me to keep moving. Keep fighting the good fight.
For a few months now, I've been saving up links from SpaceWar. Every week, they run a new piece in a series called "Dogs of War", which is about military contractors. They're editorial pieces, not strictly hard news, but they're very interesting. Here are few of the better ones from the past few months.
When I was living at Zoo Station, I had this chair that I loved. According to the box, it was a "bentwood chair", but that search always failed to give me an actual result on the Internet. I eventually found that Target had the same thing, and I've been meaning to order it for the last couple of months. Well, a while back, I was describing the chair to one of the guys at work, and he not only put a name to it, but also mentioned that it's originally a product of Ikea. This evening, I ordered my very own Poäng chair. It's cheaper than the one from Target because it doesn't include an ottoman; but I wasn't that wild about the ottoman in the first place, and I'm sure that I can use either the Crypto King's coffee table, or find something else altogether. Given that the original chair from Bed Bath and Beyond is back in Hometown at my parents' place, I'm colossally stoked to be replacing it. Also, assuming that I have the bedroom in shape before that, and have moved the cot in there, that will give me standard seating for no less than five people in the living room, with expansion to nine with the dining room chairs, eleven with my folding camp chair and papasan ottoman, and even more if one or two couples double up on seating in the papasan chair and the LoveSac. Do I know enough people to have ten other humans in my place? Of course not... But I might be able to scare five or six people up. Now, not only do I have seating for them, but the place is clean enough to actually invite them over! Sweet!
Do you ever watch Chuck? If you can get over the fact that the CIA and NSA don't actually work within American borders, it's friggin' awesome.
Oh, and one more thing: look at that economic data in the third paragraph of the Fly Report. Best exchange rate we've had since around the time that yours truly was in England? Oil nearing a mere hundred dollars a barrel? Economic quagmire, my ass!
Alright, folks, time for me to keep moving. Keep fighting the good fight.
1 Comments:
Since you are nice enough to mention my column please note that it is published by UPI, which SpaceWar picks up. You can find the archive to my past columns at
http://www.upi.com/topic/David_Isenberg/
Cheers,
David Isenberg
Post a Comment
<< Home