Calvin and Hobbes: Quite Possibly the Greatest Comic Strip Ever

If you've never had the opportunity to read Calvin and Hobbes, then I feel for you.  I truly do.  Calvin and Hobbes has been my favorite comic strip since as long as I can remember having a favorite comic strip.  It's author, Bill Watterson, is, honestly, a creative genius.  What's more, is that as I read it as an adult, the depth of the comic's ability to generate laughs through deep discussion of contemporary issues amazes me.  I think he even addressed the whole purpose of his strip, too, in the following print:

Is this not one of the most profound observations ever?

Unfortunately, Watterson retired in 1995.  In 2005, Chris Sullentrop of Slate very accurately opined: "Ten years ago Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, left newspaper cartooning for painting. Since then, no new comic strip has matched the quality, longevity, or cultural dominance of Watterson's daily drawings about a boy and his tiger."  Fortunately all of the strip's 10 years of syndication are available either online or in books.  Watterson named the two principle characters after John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes, both 16th and 17th Century influential thinkers.  The strip addresses several common themes, from the childhood imagination of a 6-year old boy to modern commercial culture. So, let's take a look at some of them:

Parenting.  Yep, parenting.  And specifically, my favorite form of parenting, sarcastic parenting.  Because sometimes the only way to emotionally deal with your children is through a healthy dose of sarcasm (most of which is completely lost on them...).

If you were curious, yes, this is how Mandy and I often address our children.  Personally, I think it's healthy. :)

Childhood.  Specifically my childhood.  More specifically, my childhood imagination (though in growing up I've simply learned how to strategically apply it, but it hasn't changed all that much).

Public education:

Journalism and the news:

Commercialism and its effect on culture:

Special interest and self-interest politics:

Kids...

And finally, life and its quirks in general:

Bill Watterson, I salute you.

Media Relations or How Not to do an Interview

Today the Iron Majors of Staff Group Bravo got a most wonderful experience.  We were given a scenario involving US aid to an oil-rich Caucasian nation, an angry mob, shots fired and injured soldiers.  We were paired up with one of us acting the role of the battalion commander and the other as the PAO.  In front of us sat three "reporters" ready to ask the kind of softball questions we would expect from the White House press corps.

It went something like this...

Bob Newhart - how not to do an interview from Jonny Bentwood on Vimeo.

I had the fortunate pleasure of going first, allowing my colleagues the opportunity to learn from my Bob Newhart performance and improve their own. All in all, it made for a painfully humorous morning, with everything from steak knives to shoes thrown at the podium (hey, Bush got a shoe thrown at him, right?).

Как не попасть в ДТП (Kak ne popast' v DTP)

How not to get in an auto accident in Russia (and pretty much anywhere for that matter)

Rule 1 - Pay attention and always turn your lights on.
Rule 2 - Don't run red lights and pay attention to traffic signs.
Rule 3 - Try to anticipate other drivers' actions
Rule 4 - Choose an appropriate speed
Rule 5 - Take care of you automobile
Rule 6 - Pick the right tires for the season.

Have a great weekend everyone!

APFT Ban

Yep, that's right.  The President should sign an executive order effectively banning APFTs.  APFTs are responsible for high rates of death and injury among our soldiers, and yet the bitter clingers in the upper echelons of the Army refuse to give up the antiquated APFT.  "Oh, but the Continental Army would never have defeated the British if they didn't have APFTs," say some.  "The only reason General Washington survived Valley Forge is because he scored a 300 on his APFT," say others.

NO! There's no reason to have APFTs these days!  I mean, seriously, are we fighting the British?  The Russians or the Chinese?  Will we ever fight another near peer military, or anything other than a rag-tag band of insurgents again?  Not likely, according to think tanks and doctrine writers throughout the Army.  "Does anyone really need to run two miles anyway?" asked one unnamed Iron Major. "I mean, maybe you might need to sprint from your MRAP to the DFAC, but it's not like we're assaulting bunkers anymore".

The same goes for push ups and sit ups.  "Why would anyone need so many reps?" queried a RAND think tank member.  "At most any soldier would need two to seven push ups."  The state of New York recently took action when a National Guard unit was spotted taking an APFT during a drill weekend by enacting legislation limiting the number of reps soldiers were allowed to complete to no more than seven.  "What are we supposed to do now?" asked the National Guard company commander, "The APFT requires that I do at least 36 push ups, but if I do, state police is gonna come confiscate my PT card and lock me up."

A national level debate is required, and a congressional action group is expected to recommend that until legislative action can be taken, that the President issue a series of executive orders increasing regulation of APFTs across the Army, including giving primary care physicians the authority to report soldiers willingly taking the APFT, and authorizing potential UCMJ action against soldiers unwilling to cease testing their fitness.

See! APFTs make you mean!

Outside The Box