Some people juggle geese!

Wash ,'Our Mrs. Reynolds'


Natter 58: Let's call Venezuela!  

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


brenda m - May 06, 2008 5:45:03 am PDT #5081 of 10001
If you're going through hell/keep on going/don't slow down/keep your fear from showing/you might be gone/'fore the devil even knows you're there

There was a nighborhood lab he'd taunt into chasing him around a tree, and then turn the tables so the dog was running in circles trying to flee the murderous cat to the point of exhaustion. (Dog wasn't the brightest bulb.) The dog would finally give up and sit there whining while Sky sang his war cry and continued to scare the crap out of the poor canine.

I think I've told this before, but a friend had a little Scottie puppy that loved to chase their cat. The cat would get annoyed and run upstairs, McGuffey would follow, and then the cat would casually saunter about halfway back down. Leaving McG trapped, because his wee little puppy legs were to short to go down the stairs.


CaBil - May 06, 2008 5:47:29 am PDT #5082 of 10001
Remember, remember/the fifth of November/the Gunpowder Treason and Plot/I see no reason/Why Gunpowder Treason/Should ever be forgot.

It wouldn't surprise me. Each Carrier Group is supposed to have at least one, possibly two attack submarines giving it cover, but they can't get too close to the Carrier and the rest of the Battle Group because of fratricide concerns. If you are willing to throw away a couple of submarine to get at a carrier (which actually would be a reasonable trade military wise) it should be possible (though the difference between possible and likely relies on training, equipment, personnel and luck.)

The easiest way would be park some submarines ahead of the projected path of Carrier group, and let them turn everything off and become black holes in the water. Attack subs tend to be passive listeners to avoid giving away their positions, making it hard for them to find a diesel sub if it is turned off (unlike nukes, who always at least have to keep their reactor pumps on) and the Carrier escorts try to keep their own active sonar off, because your own sonar can 'paint' friendly subs at ranges far beyond the ship's ability to detect enemy subs. If you have a sufficient number of submarines that can keep quiet when told to, achieving a shot should be possible.

That is part of the reason everyone is so hot for hyper-cavitation. Fire one of these, no one has time to react to stop it from hitting a Carrier. Thus the US Navy wants them, because using one as a counter torpedo may be the only thing that stops one.

I am actually not sure if the Navy would wargame it out, since the submarine and carrier factions are fighting over the budget pie. For the carrier faction, there is no upside to wargaming it out. If they win, they gain nothing, if they lose, the submarine faction may get points in the next budget battle. And any radical redesign of the Carrier would delay the replacement of the next retirement, dropping the size of the Carrier fleet.

Worse yet, the Navy and Air Force has be getting worried. Due to Pentagon politics, it's budget is cut roughly in thirds. So right now the Army and Marines are getting hammered, since they are expending equipment like there is no tomorrow in the Middle East, whereas the Air Force's and Navy operational tempos are less. The Army is spending millions, if not billions, weekly just replacing worn out equipment, and they are falling behind. The Navy and Air Force are spending their thirds of the budget on the next gen aircraft and ships. While the budget supplemental are mostly for the Army/Marines sooner or later some bright guy in Congress is going to realize that we could maybe live without the F-22 for a couple years, or that the future cruiser isn't really needed to fight Al-Qaeda, since they do not seem to be challenging our naval or air superiority. The logical conclusion would be to reallocate some of those funds to stuff we need now.

Logic has very little to do with the Pentagon's budget wars...


Frankenbuddha - May 06, 2008 6:01:13 am PDT #5083 of 10001
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"

Smoooth, Mr. Kitteh. Very smooth.

That's the kind of cat who deserves some Chip & Dale/Tweety Bird treatment.


shrift - May 06, 2008 6:03:26 am PDT #5084 of 10001
"You can't put a price on the joy of not giving a shit." -Zenkitty

I see that Tuesday has been replaced with CriticalMassofStupidityday.


Kat - May 06, 2008 6:07:07 am PDT #5085 of 10001
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo

CriticalMassofStupidityday

HA! And oh no.

I didn't get conned for too much, ita. $20 6 years ago barely matters now.

I am TIRED this morning.


Steph L. - May 06, 2008 6:09:03 am PDT #5086 of 10001
I look more rad than Lutheranism

I see that Tuesday has been replaced with CriticalMassofStupidityday.

My Tuesday has been replaced with IWillNeverGetOverThisFuckingColdday.

On the plus side, Tuesdays are one of the days that my bitch from hell co-worker works at home, so at least the office is more pleasant.


tommyrot - May 06, 2008 6:12:09 am PDT #5087 of 10001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

Thanks, CaBil - that was interesting.

I read a book by a US submarine captain - his sub was assigned to make a mock attack on a US carrier battle group as part of an exercise. He managed to get his sub into a good firing position, and the judges awarded him a "kill" of the carrier. His superiors were mad at him, as he was supposed to let the carrier battle group win. Instead he made the carrier people look bad.

This book was written by the captain of the sub that rammed and sunk that Japanese fishing boat near Hawaii - very sad....


§ ita § - May 06, 2008 6:17:19 am PDT #5088 of 10001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

At least it looks like I'll get painkillers today. I really take the E out of ER. But if that's the only place that will make the headaches stop, that's where I have to go and spend my $75 copay per. Ride is scheduled so I don't have to miss work and everything. Ain't life grand.


Kat - May 06, 2008 6:23:56 am PDT #5089 of 10001
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo

ita, do you need anything? I'm on this side of town this morning.


Kat - May 06, 2008 6:24:06 am PDT #5090 of 10001
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo

not necessary to be offered twice. Though I do mean it just that much.