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PLAYBOY January 1975
Friday, July 4, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
VIRTUAL IRAQ
Using simulation to treat a new generation of traumatized veterans.
In November, 2004, when he was nineteen years old, a marine I’ll call Travis Boyd found himself about to rush the roof of the tallest building in the northern end of Falluja in the midst of a firefight. Boyd, whose first assignment in Iraq was to the security detail at Abu Ghraib prison, had been patrolling the city with his thirteen-man infantry squad, rooting out insurgents and sleeping on the floors of abandoned houses, where they’d often have to remove dead bodies in order to lay out their bedrolls.
With Boyd in the lead, the marines ran up the building’s four flights of stairs. When they reached the top, “the enemy cut loose at us with everything they had,” he recalled. “Bullets were exploding like firecrackers all around us.” Boyd paused and his team leader, whom he thought of as an older brother, ran past him to the far side of the building. Moments after he got there, he was shot dead. Within minutes, everyone else on the roof was wounded. “We had to crawl out of there,” said Boyd, who was hit with shrapnel and suffered a concussion, earning a Purple Heart. “That was my worst day.”
It is in the nature of soldiers to put emotions aside, and that is what Boyd did for three years. He “stayed on the line” with his squad and finished his tour of duty the following June, married his high-school girlfriend, and soon afterward began training for his second Iraq deployment, not thinking much about what he had seen or done during the first. Haditha, where he was sent in the fall of 2005, was calmer than Falluja. There were roadside bombs, but no direct attacks. Boyd was now a team leader, and he and his men patrolled the streets like police. When drivers did not respond to the soldiers’ efforts to get them to stop, he said, “we’d have to light them up.” He was there for seven months.
With Boyd in the lead, the marines ran up the building’s four flights of stairs. When they reached the top, “the enemy cut loose at us with everything they had,” he recalled. “Bullets were exploding like firecrackers all around us.” Boyd paused and his team leader, whom he thought of as an older brother, ran past him to the far side of the building. Moments after he got there, he was shot dead. Within minutes, everyone else on the roof was wounded. “We had to crawl out of there,” said Boyd, who was hit with shrapnel and suffered a concussion, earning a Purple Heart. “That was my worst day.”
It is in the nature of soldiers to put emotions aside, and that is what Boyd did for three years. He “stayed on the line” with his squad and finished his tour of duty the following June, married his high-school girlfriend, and soon afterward began training for his second Iraq deployment, not thinking much about what he had seen or done during the first. Haditha, where he was sent in the fall of 2005, was calmer than Falluja. There were roadside bombs, but no direct attacks. Boyd was now a team leader, and he and his men patrolled the streets like police. When drivers did not respond to the soldiers’ efforts to get them to stop, he said, “we’d have to light them up.” He was there for seven months.
Read the rest at The New Yorker
BY SUE HALPERN
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
A Real Lover
"The real lover
is the man
that can
thrill you
by kissing your forehead
or smiling into your eyes
or just staring into space"
Marilyn Monroe
Remembering Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana dancing with John Trovolta
(July 1, 1961 - August 31, 1997) Diana was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. Their sons, Princes William and Henry (Harry), are second and third in line to the thrones of the United Kingdom and fifteen other Commonwealth Realms.
A public figure from the announcement of her engagement to Prince Charles, Diana remained the focus of near-constant media scrutiny in the United Kingdom and around the world up to and during her marriage, and after her subsequent divorce. Her sudden death in a car crash was followed by a spontaneous and prolonged show of public mourning - what many considered "their own personal this life" (Requiem for Diana, Collins Hanley). Contemporary responses to Diana's life and legacy have been mixed but a popular fascination with the Princess endures. The long awaited Coroner's Inquest reported in April 2008 that Diana had been unlawfully killed by the driver and the following paparazzi.
Rest in Peace.
Umbrella Week, Photos, Paintings, Photoshop
Introducing "Umbrella Week" where I will post paintings, photos or photoshopped art for your appreciation. It's all about Umbrellas this week and you can email me some of your favorites too at zoeypurrs@gmail.com . Feel free to identify the artist in the pictures I post in the comments section. I ran a black unbrella painting a week ago and 15 of my loyal readers sent me their favorites. I also have a file of rainy days and it sure is raining daily here in Florida. So this is a good week to sprinkle my favorite umbrella art here at the Cat and feel free to copy them if you like them. And thanks to all who shared your favorites with me.
Don't Make That Call
There's a type of "phishing" that's on the rise. It's called "vishing."
"Vishing" occurs when you receive a automated phone call or an e-mail that says that your account or debit card has been compromised in some way. You could be told the card will be "temporarily locked out of the system" until you resolve the problem. You're given a number to call to resolve the problem.
The number takes you to an automated answering program that asks for your account number or debit card number to verify the account. You will probably also be asked for the same type of information requested in typical "phishing" scams.
"Vishing" occurs when you receive a automated phone call or an e-mail that says that your account or debit card has been compromised in some way. You could be told the card will be "temporarily locked out of the system" until you resolve the problem. You're given a number to call to resolve the problem.
The number takes you to an automated answering program that asks for your account number or debit card number to verify the account. You will probably also be asked for the same type of information requested in typical "phishing" scams.
If you receive an e-mail, it may start out like this one "We are aware that some of our members have received fraudulent e-mails stating to click on a link to address an issue with their account. Please do not respond to this e-mail. It is not from XXXXXXXXXXX".
Be warned, it has even been reported that large scale "vishing" operations may have set up a "call center" with people pretending to work for the company in question.
I received one of these e-mails today. It was from a bank that I had never heard of and it was sent to an e-mail account that I rarely use.
By the way, it was sent to a gmail account. I have two gmail accounts. One I use for this blog. The other is the one I rarely use. Neither account is used for personal information.
I found this advice when I was looking into information about "vishing"
If you have a question concerning your account or credit/debit card, you should contact your bank using a telephone number obtained independently such as; from your statement, a telephone book, or another independent means.
It is excellent advice. You should do that if the questionable request comes by e-mail or phone.
From the blog Can't Keep Quiet.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Couch Potato
Zoey found a new perch to take her afternoon naps. I miss her as she is usually asleep in my in box on my desk. Boo.
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