Public Service Message...

I was watching Morning Joe and I get the sense that they're already girding themselves to the fact that the Democrats are going to lose control of the Senate.

The public service message is to vote...vote early if you can.

The reality is that we're living George Orwell's Animal Farm.  Never did I believe that a book that my 8th grade English Teacher forced on us would ever come back to deliver the message that I failed to fully comprehend all those years ago.

The Democrats.  The Republicans.  The more you look at them the more you can't tell them apart.

Latest CGI of the ATD-X ShinShin (F-3) via Bantay Spratly

I just hit upon something.

If the F-35, J-31 and the F-3 all make it into service,  pilots are going to have a real hard time with visual recognition!

Is it just me or do they all look remarkably similar...especially the J-31 and the F-35.  Maybe its the fact that those planes have two engines?

Z-10 Fierce Thunderbolt via China Military Review...

Ok World of Tanks pros...explain this!

Blow up the above pic and explain to me why the top damage dealing player on my LOSING team didn't end up with high caliber!

I read all the explanations (and yeah Spudman...I'm a tomato) but your previous explanations just don't jive with what I'm seeing above.

Explain please!

Africa is on the verge of a full blown pandemic...

First check out the above video.

Now check this out from Shepherd of the Gurneys...

Apparently, someone seems to have found whatever was keeping the needle stuck.
To wit:
24 Oct 2014 12,008 cases 5,078 deaths
19 Oct 2014 9,936 cases 4,877 deaths
17 Oct 2014 9,693 cases 4,811 deaths
2000 new cases in the last FIVE days?!!
Sweet blazing hell! If you're in Africa, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!
Look at the chart on the page; it hasn't increased by 2000 cases in the last 3 weeks.
Earlier today, I was about to note that I missed a WaPo news report a couple weeks back that related the Pentagon has revised their timetable for completing the 1700 beds; it's now going to take until early December, rather than mid-November, i.e. another 2-3 weeks.
I was going to note how far behind they'd be when they finally get to December.
But now, that whole post is pointless.
Those 1700 beds just became obsolete between last Sunday and last Friday morning.
And it's taking us 9 weeks to make 1700 beds' worth of facilities.
Ebola is making 400 new patients per day.
For the love of God, get our troops the hell out of there right fucking now!
Just tell them to drop their shit where it is, grab their duffel bag, and be on the runway ready to go in 5 minutes, fly in, pick them up, and just GO!

I couldn't understand the State Dept memo.

Yeah, it was a leak, but something like this to be leaked this close to an election made me pause.

Then I read the article that SoG's posted and it all made sense.

Africa is on the verge of a full blown pandemic.

For those that are of a certain mindset get ready.  For those that think all is well...it is.  I stand by my initial assessment.  They're gonna try and keep a lid on things till after the Christmas holidays...and then watch out.

Oh and consider this.  This administration has been lurching from one crisis to another.  This will just be par for the course.

Breaking! NASA unmanned supply rocket to the space station explodes on the launch pad.

More to come I'm sure.

A once great agency is such a joke.  Its really sad.

IDF's 7th Armored Brigade upgrades to Merkava 4's...

via Jerusalem Post.

The IDF's 7rh Armored Brigade is in the midst of a modernization process that will see all tank battalions equipped with the Merkava Mk. 4 tank by 2016, a senior army source said Tuesday.
The brigade's 75th battalion will complete the switch over from the Merkava Mk. 2 tank to the Mk. 4 on Thursday, and an additional two tank battalions will complete the process within two years, he added.
The tanks will come equipped with Raphael's Trophy active protection system against anti-tank missile attacks, making them suitable for combat in complex and hostile environments saturated with guerrilla cells armed with anti-tank missiles, particularly, in Lebanon against Hezbollah, according to the source.
The Seventh Brigade's fourth battalion is an engineering corps unit, and the brigade is also supplemented by a specialized infantry company that travels around in armored vehicles.
"The last time we got a new tank was in the 1980s," the officer said.
"This will enhance our ability to fight in closed spaces and hilly areas, against an enemy that disappears," he stated.

Israel's recent fight is causing a serious back to basics movement.  Good to see.