Sunday, April 14, 2002

More from Russia with Love

Russia makes It Funny has this bit also:

Four types of Russian women

The Institute for complex sociological researches of the Russian Academy of Sciences held a sociological poll among Russian women in 12 territorial areas of Russia, Moscow and St.Petersburg.

According to the poll’s results, there are four types of Russian women: “home-oriented women”, “workers”, “career-makers” and “desperate”.

“Home-oriented women” (that make up 41% of Russian women) dedicate their lives to children upbringing, good friends, honest life and people’s respect.

“Workers” (36%) have got the values of the “home-oriented women”, and additionally strive for interesting job and good education.

“Career-makers” (16%) have the widest sphere of interests: they have got the values and objectives of the two first groups, and additionally plan to have their own business, be successful in professional career, visit different countries and become a part of the high society.

“Desperate” (7%) have got the values similar to the “home-oriented” women, but do not believe they will be a success.

Ack. So essentially everyone is a house wife at the core.

posted by Bohica at 11:37 AM

There Are Lots of Places Where a Woman Can Buy a Man

Catchy tag line, eh?

It convinced me to click and scroll.

Here is my favorite tidbit:

A brothel for women in Munich guarantees that a woman will experience orgasm. And this promise is kept, so the women, who go there once, come back more and more. They say that they are getting a compensation for the disadvantages of their family life.


All that and more from Russia Makes it Funny, a site posting humorous stories with this goal:

We will be watching the development of the project, hoping that the Russian image of a bear, constantly drinking vodka, will dissipate.

posted by Bohica at 11:24 AM

Celluloid Power

Anyone who thinks movies don't influence viewers -- life imitating art so to speak -- is silly.

When the outcome is similar to this Reuters report, its a good thing.

Evidently boys out number girls (14 to 10) at the Royal Ballet for the first time in 76 years.

The most excellent movie, Billy Elliot, is credited.

For those who have not had the pleasure, Billy Elliot is a miner's son who overcomes financial hardship and social disapproval to dream and become a student at the Royal Ballet.

Billy's father gives a heart breaking performance as a striking miner who truly loves his son, but cannot understand his desire to dance. Instead wanting him to box.

Billy's father's attitude -- that only the effeminate dance -- was a product of ignorance -- like most bigoted stereotypes. Ballet was beyond his experiences. But this changes.

One of the best moments is when Billy and his father are taking the bus to London for an audition and his father admits he has never been to London before. It makes the father's journey years later to watch adult Billy perform the lead in Swan Lake that much more of a triumph for them both.

But back to reality:

There has been a significant increase in the number of boys who want full-time training and are willing to take on ballet as a vocation, said Gailene Stock, director of the Royal Ballet School in west London.

The film has certainly had some effect on the younger boys. A number of boys at the school have said that "Billy Elliot" made them feel more comfortable about telling people they are ballet dancers.

She said stars such as Rudolf Nureyev and all male ballets such as "Swan Lake" -- choreographed by Matthew Bourne -- proved male dancers were more than mere "porteurs" (carriers) for ballerinas.

People have realized that male dancers can be equally stunning to watch.

posted by Bohica at 9:39 AM

Sticking with the Military Riff

A friend from the academy just forwarded me these classics:

"Sometimes I think war is God's way of teaching us geography. "
- Paul Rodriguez

The following were taken from military manuals:

"A slipping gear could let your M203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what's left of your unit."
- Army's magazine of preventive maintenance.

"Aim towards Enemy" - Instruction printed on US Rocket Launcher

When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend.

Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs always hit the ground.

If the enemy is in range, so are you.

It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed.

Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.

Try to look unimportant -- they may be low on ammo.

You, you, and you. . . Panic. The rest of you, come with me.

Tracers work both ways.

Five second fuses only last three seconds.

Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last, and don't ever volunteer to do anything.

Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid.

If your attack is going too well, you have walked into an ambush.

No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection.

Any ship can be a minesweeper. . . once.

Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do.

Don't draw fire -- it irritates the people around you.

Mines are equal opportunity weapons.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan your mission properly.

posted by Bohica at 3:58 AM

An Unrepentant Wall Flower

Foxnews -- of all places -- has a report on how Westpoint and to a lesser degree the other service academies are placing new emphasis on critical thinking and the reading and writing skills gained from studying literature.

Yeah -- right. When Hell freezes over.

This quote illustrates how little has changed:

Capt. William E. Hecker III, a West Point alumnus who teaches a required English literature class, says he has a hard time motivating some undergraduates because of... the campus mindset.

"They don't think it's a particularly manly or military vocation," says Hecker.

Even funnier is a bit of verse by Gen. George Patton who evidently liked to say his two great passions were war and poetry. It is touted along with memoirs written by Ulysses S. Grant as the two shining examples of publication by Westpointers:

Knowing once more the whitehot joy/Of taking human life.

Gee... how profound.

Reading this article took me back to the night I choose my major at Annapolis.

There were essentially three broad areas then -- Engineering, soft sciences such as Chemistry and Computers, and the belittled "Bull" majors of English, History, etc.

I'd already realized what misogynist SOBs the engineering professors were. The only difference between a "Bull" major and an engineer was the senior year class load and one additional math class junior year.

Not being into misery for its own sake and by that point unconcerned about not appearing "manly", I planned to select History.

So there I was -- in Smoke Hall -- loitering with another female classmate who was to be my most favorite roommate our senior year -- but that is another story -- when up comes this jovial Admiral.

At that time, I was still in awe of senior officers -- but what happened next dramatically lessened this unquestioning respect.

He asked us what we planned to major in. Both of us had decided history -- pretty much for the same reasons. Nothing against engineering, but I'd had enough gratuitous bs just because I was a female midshipman and was not looking for more.

This Admiral frowned at our response and said, "Nonsense! Be engineers or you will be wall flowers in the ball room of life."

I remember thinking it was probably a good thing I didn't care for waltzing... and we both went history -- big bulls.

It is a choice I've never regretted.

My fellow wall flower and roommate went on to earn a masters in Space Orbital Engineering.

Me? Post grad in Strategic Intelligence and a Juris Doctorate.

posted by Bohica at 3:53 AM