Off The Grid

Off The Grid & ARE YOU READY FOR WWI?

Off The Grid * WWI *  Nonfiction & C 11:59 Update

Off The Grid
I don’t get out much. Heck- I don’t even do the ‘getting out’ that other people do when they stay in. I mean; I don’t watch TV, listen to commercial radio or read any so called ‘news’ magazines. Im about as far off the grid of popular culture as you can get and not be a FREAK.

(Awkward silence)

(More awkward silence)

(Painfully long awkward silence. )

oh… …my….

(Coughs & Clearing of throats)

OK  – Well. Anyway. Usually Im fairly comfortable with being me, and its about all I know. Once you ‘fall off of the marry-go-round’ it does not look like all that much fun: All those people spinning around faster and faster till they get sick. I prefer to read, listen to music and do stuff. I read a lot, and think – probably too much.

WWI
One of the things that I sometimes think too much about (well not so much anymore, but I used to) is World War One. I wondered how it could have happened and how it could have been so bad. I gradually came to the realization that one of the most important factors in WWI was the shear scale of the conflict. We (uh, that is to say ‘American media’) tend to focus on World War Two because it was more recent, more dynamic, better documented, and America was more involved.

But consider yourself warned that that is going to stop shortly. The 100^th anniversary of the Great War is about to hit us, so expect lots of memorials, observations, movies and the obligatory Ken Burns documentary.  I’ll get you started with some interesting tidbits so you can get a jump on everyone. Work these between crudités at your next swaray. (At lest my 4+ years of French were not wasted.)

Scale!
WWI was big. For example, In one single battle, the Somme, the British lost 2/3 as many casualties as they had in ALL of WWII. Total British Ouch.

Cool it now!
Just about all of the principle political leaders fin WWI were the related to Queen Victoria of England. A great movie (the book is better — but does not have the actual footage) is ‘The Guns Of August’ which shows footage shot of the gala funeral for prince Albert.  Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky and Mike, I mean  the whole gang was there in London mourning a relative just months before they plunged the world into the worst war it has ever known.

Political In-fighting
Some of the worst events of WWI came about because of friction between various commanders on the same sides. For example, Gallipoli, the abortive invasion of Turkey and planned seizures of the Dardanelles was Churchill’s baby.  Churchill & Mr K. did NOT get a long. Lord Kitchener wanted all the troops that he could get to feed into the trenches so he could move his licker cabinet one foot closer to Berlin. Churchill wanted to reduce K’s influence, so he looked around for something else to do with the territorial Anzacs & hit on the idea of attacking Germany’s ally Turkey. All in all — it was not a bad idea, but woefully carried out, probably to an ultimate — if a bit ironic – good end: Go Ataturk!

More on WWI next time, its getting late…

Cinderella 11:59 Update
Im my head I sometimes call her Cinderella 9.11 & Im just  not sure if the title of the piece isn’t going to be ‘Cinderella 12:01’ because it is getting clearer and clearer that she is at the top of her game and she aint going anywhere when that bell tolls.

Husker du is the DEVIL