Images From Iraq

Gettysburg Address

I overheard someone say that today is the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. Later in the conversation I heard one of the participants ask......"Can you image what the Gettysburg address would have been like if Abe Lincoln had had an academic education?



Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Can't Help But Notice A Resemblance.

At the movies on Saturday I noticed this video playing in the lobby of the Mazza Gallery. The commercial also played before the movie started. I noticed a similarity in the tone of the music to former Soviet Block military songs.







One way to hear the similarities is to listen to each video 10 seconds at a time. Just switch back and forth between play buttons......technology will do the rest.
You can also press play on both videos at the same time. You may notice that the two sounds are almost indistinguishable.




What do you think caused the the National Guard to use this type of sound in their commercial?

The little Redskins fan and The Denver Broncos hat

The little kid sat next to me on his older brothers lap during the game. The guy in the Denver Jersey sat directly behind me. How they ended up in this picture with the little kid wearing the Denver fans' well worn, prized, hat is an interesting story.

Things didn't start well for the Redskins, they seldom do, but this beginning was particularly bad. In the first quarter the Redskins secondary (the last level of defense) got burned for two touchdowns. Sitting next to me during this travesty was this little guy. His brother had taught him to boo Denver and the Denver fans relentlessly. So even as all seemed lost the little guy was screaming at the top of his little lunges, BRONCOS ARE POO. POOPY BRONCOS.

In the beginning, the Broncos fan seated directly behind us was living the high life. He was cheering and laughing....... having a good old time. Even the little guy couldn't compete with the dismal play of the Redskins and the joy of the Denver fans.

Well the Skins didn't give up and good things started to happen. At one point the Denver fan says to the little guy. "There is no way you are going to beat us, but if you do I'll give you my hat."

In the fourth quarter, the Broncos where down by two scores. With 2 minutes to go the Broncos were screwed and the Redskins looked like they were going to beat a good team by more than the skin of their teeth. When it looked like the game was over, the older brother gather up the little guy and pronounced that they had to go. The Broncos fan then stood up and offered his hat to the little guy. The older brother said no to worry about it, but the Broncos fan said a deal was a deal. I got them to compromise by taking the picture that you see above.


So little Skins fan, the picture above is proof that you won the bet and that the Denver fan was cool enough to honor it.

Hail to the Redskins

My thoughts on writing.

would you use
the
words you used
on paper
to explain in person?

one good thing about on paper
is that it's not in person.

Could you tell the story
out
loud?

What parts would you include,
what parts would you exclude?

You are explaining an aspect of life
that until
you shared it..... only
you
knew
about.

No two perspectives are the same; but,
because we can relate to each other emotionally
.... they don't have to be.

The Redskins must be Careful

The Washington Redskins must be careful. Slowly but surely the fire is going out. For the fans this is catastrophic. Its hard to be devoted to something you can't see.

The fire goes out of any entity, whether it be a team,or an individual, when there is no longer a will to fight. On a team this happens when more people than not give up. For an individual its when there is despair and no hope for the future.

The Redskins behavior has shown that things are bad. The incident on the Falcons sideline with Hall and Landry show just how bad. Any team that hesitates to support their own is well on its way to darkness.

Jason Campbell's ability to remain responsive to questions from the media gives me hope. He is still fighting, although every time he gets a little banged up he starts rolling around on the field, his face in agony. Let me just say from experience........when you are a leader.......in front of those you led........ it behooves you to keep your emotions in check . Campbell seems to be able to do this in interviews but on the field of play he shows too much of his pain.

If I had to give Campbell advice I'd say to him. "As a leader you don't feel pain during the battle. If you do, your men will fear for you and your opponents will smell blood. Football is a game of emotion. During the battle your emotion is your light, your fight, your weapon, and your greatest weakness. You must protect it."

This why the emotions surrounding the team are in such peril. So much is stacked against the organization, but for the time being the team is still trying. There is still room to blame things other than the players themselves. However, if the light goes out on the field, if everything becomes too much to bear, if Campbell stops answering question with hope for the future, darkness could come.

Anyone who has ever been camping can tell you, it's a lot easier to get a fire going from smoldering embers than it is to Create a new one.

Helps with losing weight

You must change the amount of time you spend negatively perceiving,analyzing, and/or judging your physical body.

The video is one way to do this.





For people who are really stuck in their heads using these breathing exercises to replace negative thoughts, even if just for a minute or two, will give you a break to build on.

For people who are for the most part good. The breathing exercises with sharpen the thoughts, clear the mind, and may even create, maintain, sustain, a little definition to the rectus abdominis (the ab muscles that go up and down your front)and the obliques (the ones on the sides)

For those of us in the middle, spending time in a relaxed state, even two minutes, is never a bad thing.

Helps with Weight loss

To experience your body in ways other than how you perceive its appearance.

Mobility Insurance Exercise 1A

Whats the Point?

Create, Maintain, and Sustain,(CMS) Smooth circular mobility in the,

• toes
• ankles
• knees
• hips
• shoulders
• elbows
• wrists

CMS

• Balanced neuro-muscular recruitment in the feet and hands

CMS

• efficient force production through a push

Why is pushing with shoulders down, elbows in, palms spread, so significant?

Physiologically speaking, having your shoulders down elbows in, creates the greatest amount of surface area between the ball of the humerus bone and the Glenoid Labrum of the Glenohumeral Joint.(The Glenoid Labrum in the socket the ball of the humerus bone goes into. The Glenohumeral Joint is the medical term for the shoulder joint) The Greater the surface area the greater the amount of Neuro-Muscular recruitment. The greater the Neuro-Muscular recruitment the greater production of force.

Key Point to Remember

• move slow
• use big toes on way down
• keep back inline from knees to neck during modified push up
• elbows in
  
• Shoulders down and away from ears
• push into thumbs

Mobility Insurance

• Keep it if you got it
• Get it if you don't

Fitness =(ability +Sustainability)x Discipline

Weight Loss

The left and right boundaries for weight loss are Hungry and Full. The more you feel full the more likely you are to gain weight. The more you feel hungry to more likely you are to lose weight. Too much time is spent monitoring the quality of foods eaten instead of the quantity. By focusing on quantity one can feel weight loss instead of plan for it.

A fool proof way to control your weight is to control you feelings of hungry and full. In a week pay attention to how many nights you go to bed hungry as opposed to full and I guarantee you will lose weight.

Mostafa

I was several months into my deployment when I met Mostafa. Below is a video from that day. Mostafa is the young man who speaks english.





Mostafa and I have since become even better friends over email. After the two car bombs in Baghdad last week I received this email from him.

"Well my family are okay I was alone in the hotel where I stay up with my friends in one of the clubs and stay late and it was dangerous to drive to the house because the road was dark and empty I spent the night in the hotel and it happened

Has been moved all the wounded and I am one to hospital and one was close to the area and the number of wounded more than 700 hospital did not accommodate so many more wounded and they put them outside the hospital, lying on the ground and remained in this case nearly four hours unconscious and then took me and gave mei oxygen and conducted the surgery and then somebody came and took me out side the hospital he put on a chair outside and then when I woke up I called my friend and he came and took me home

Please do not think about me you are sick now, I'm now fine and my doctor comes every day to check on

You will not believe what I saw on that day there have been many explosions near me but I did not see such a bloody scene which I saw on Sunday was near the explosion destroyed the custody of children and children have died within more than 30 children and while they were searching the rubble and found a girl child separated from body

And also see signed by a concrete barrier led to the dismemberment of his head completely, I wonder how a person who carried out this terrorist operation to sleep for the killing of these children, and people do not know what to call them for what they are doing all this? Who is the beneficiary of all this blood"