Quantum Spin

Well, due to some spammer having found this obscure blog, I have been forced to refuse Anonymous posts. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause for legitimate posters, but since I am unable to send feedback to the offending servers causing them to explode and burst into flames - well, I do what I can. Thank you to all my sincere commentators and may the spammers rot in digital agony.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

They Got Cocky

Israel is having a hard time against Hezbollah.

Why? This is the tiny nation that has taken on the Arab world in five wars throughout it's less than 60 years existance, winning every single one handily.

Why are they having a problem against a militia?

I think they got cocky.

I think Israel began to believe the stories about their invincibility. They have a good military, one of the world's best and with the best training. But, if they go into battle thinking they are so superior, they're going to make mistakes. They're going to underestimate the enemy and get a hard lesson in reality.

They have gotten just such a lesson.

There has also been a major, strategic mistake, one that I pointed out a few weeks ago. Israel is depending too much on their air power at the expense of their ground forces.

Air power is nifty and can turn the tide of battle - the Battle of the Bulge is a good example - but, once it blasts things to pieces, air power must retreat, allowing the enemy to reoccupy the postions they just left. Then, you have to blast them out of there again.

Only ground troops can hold - well, ground. And, Israel has cut its ground forces in favor of sexy aircraft.

Also, they didn't take into account the arming of Hezbollah by other nations; Iran and Syria. Iran and Syria get their their weapons from Russia - no slouch when it comes to anti-tank weapons.

So, Israel was surprised by Hezbollah's use of the Spandrel and Kornet ATMs.

These missiles have tandem warheads; the first warhead blasts away the Israeli's reactive armor - a great defense against HEAT rounds - clearing the way for the second warhead to punch a hole through the armor.

Which they do quite well.

So, Israel is fighting a different enemy than they thought. I believe they can still win, if they have the political will to do so. If not, if they bow to international pressure - pressure that, I believe, would prefer Hezbollah to remain - they may very well lose, emboldening their enemies - not just Hezbollah - to strike while the iron's hot.

They may be learning the error of their ways, but this might become the war that Israel lost. If so, it is their own fault, not because of any real superiority of the enemy.

For data on the Spandrel, go here.

For data on the Kornet, go here.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Very Interesting

I caught the tail end of an interesting show on the History Channel last night. It was about the Mayan calendar and the inferred end of the world on 21 Dec 2012.

I don't buy into the end of the world bit, but there were two interesting coincidences that made me go - hmmm.

The Mayan had a really complex calendar and just the fact that someone managed to figure it out is fascinating to me, in and of itself, regardless of the portents.

Anyway, the two coincidences were;
On 21 Dec 2012,
  1. The Sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way and
  2. The Earth will be at one exent of its precession.
Now, I don't know if the Maya had some way to calculate these two events or, if it is mere coincidence, but it's very interesting.

Supposedly, according to the show, the time leading up to this date would be filled with change - social, political, climatic - and that there would be increased sunspot activity.

Well, we are going through a lot of change, but the social and political changes are just facets of Mankind. When was there a time when the was no change?

But, the climatic changes that we seem to be seeing were heralded by the Mayan Long Count Calendar. Or, so it seems.

And, we are in a time of increased sunspot activity - the last 70 years have seen more sunspot activity than any other time in the last 8,000 years.

The Long Count Calendar sets up a cycle of 26,000 years. And, that is the same period of the Earth's precession. The alignment of the Sun with the center of the Milky Way may have just been gravy, I'm not sure on that one - like I said, I only caught part of the show.

Anyway, I found this show to be very interesting.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

At Least, Not Until They Are Ready

In 2004, China opposed the weaponization of space. Now, they seem to have changed their tune.

They opposed weaponizing space, but, I surmise, only until they were prepared to do so themselves. No sense in anyone having a leg up on them.