Slashdot Mirror
Techies Hire Witch To Protect Computers From Viruses and Offices From Spirits
schwit1 writes: It may seem like your computer or smartphone is possessed by an evil spirit sometimes when a mysterious bug keeps causing an app to crash, but if you truly think your machine has been invaded by an evil spirit, there's someone who will take your call — Reverend Joey Talley. A Wiccan witch from the San Francisco Bay Area, Talley claims to solve supernatural issues for techies. Business Insider reports: "Talley’s website says she welcomes issues too unusual or dangerous to take the the straight world of Western helpers. But she also says no problem is too big or small, even, perhaps, your printer malfunctioning. However before you jump on the phone, you should be aware that Talley’s services do not come cheap. She charges $200 an hour (though a phone consultation is free)."
There is no cure for absolute fucking stupidity.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke
Free as in "the Truth shall set you..."
There are SpecOp units with women. Russia's 5th Spetsnaz, France's 11th Parachute Brigade, 13th Parachute Dragoon Reg., Israel's Sayeret Matkal. SpecOp Reconn units like Britains SRR, South Koreas 707th, and that's a far from complete list of units with much higher physical and psychological selection criteria than general infantry (and my military experience is 15 years out of date, more elite units have allowed women since then). what you will generally find is that they didn't go through the same selection and training process as the primary members of the force.
I think if you examine the presence of women in most special forces type units.
I suspect that if you bother to research the regiments I mentioned, rather than over-invest the "most" strawman, you may be surprised.
I'd suggest you don't trot that belief out in front of a female SRR unless you'd like to experience a condensed version of P Company selection testing. Or not - it could prove an education.
You sound like an armchair general. There's a difference between direct experience and sophist "knowledge". No amount of reading or watching videos will bridge that gap. I trained and competed with some of those regiments - as have many regiments from the USA. Mutual respect is more common than not.
Lest you get distracted from your original claim - my point is that if women can meet the standards of elite forces, they can meet the standards of general infantry.
They can, and they do.
Women did well as snipers, pilots, anti-aircraft, and many other duties for the Soviets. They were used as infantry at times, and they were removed from that role as soon as the Soviets could manage as I recall.
Your recollections are correct - though it leaves out tank crews (a brutally hard job). There were some instances of women serving on the front lines - and many instances of them being executed for it. Notable exceptions would be (WW1) the Perm Battalion and the 1st Russian Women's Battalion of Death. The actual reasons they were deployed in both WWs in active roles was because necessity overcame the military culture of men only (despite political ideals). I suspect they'd have been deployed in the infantry more often if not for the ready supply of zeks.
Despite military cultural bias (I blame the nepotism that's standard amongst the REMF in the military everywhere) the Russian command recognised that women were superior snipers. But the Russian experience is unique so I don't know if that applies to all women.
The reason they were removed from active service after both WWs was partially due to the changes in military command, and mostly due practical reasons - a need to repopulate.
The Soviet war effort, not to mention the US and UK war effort, would have been greatly weakened without the participation of women.
Agreed.
That still doesn't mean that general purpose infantry is a good place to use them.
On that point we disagree. From my point of view - if I was 40 years younger and re-enlisted I'd prefer to serve along side soldiers selected on the basis of meeting practical standards not cultural biases.
and there are very few women that really have an interest in it.
A weak argument. I'm opposed to the draft - for either gender. And that's been a defining difference between the USA and Australia (, England, and New Zealand) for a long time. Possibly because we have a smaller pool of candidates and less resources to supply them.
I don't believe in equality - it's a myth. Equal opportunity is different. In no way am I suggesting that equal number of women, can, or should be in active duty - only that the criteria should be meeting the operational standards.
If women meet the same standards required for active service - good for them, good for those they serve, and good for those they serve with.