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Ret. Major General explains the difference between an AR-15 and the military's weapons of war

Major General Paul Eaton was the commander in charge of training Iraqi troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He knows his weapons.

paul eaton, army, guns, gun violence
Public Domain, @PaulDEaton/Twitter

Retired Major General Paul Eaton shared his thoughts on whether the AR-15 is a "weapon of war."

A common criticism gun rights activists levy toward gun legislation advocates is that many people who push for stricter gun laws don’t know a lot about guns themselves. That’s not wholly accurate—there are plenty of gun enthusiasts who support reasonable gun laws—but it’s true that many people who are horrified by our nation’s gun culture are not well-versed on the specifications of our nation’s 393 million guns.

Not every American is an active part of American “gun culture." Some of us have never shot a firearm, for fun or otherwise. Some of us really are ignorant about guns themselves.

That can’t be said for anyone in the military, however. And it definitely can’t be said for a former Major General of the U.S. Army.


That’s why an explanation of the difference between an AR-15 and military-style firearms from retired Major General Paul Eaton has gone viral. Major General Eaton was the commander in charge of training Iraqi soldiers during Operation Iraqi Freedom, so he definitely knows what he’s talking about when it comes to weaponry.

He wrote:

“As the former Commanding General of the Infantry Center at Fort Benning and Chief of Infantry, I know a bit about weapons. Let me state unequivocally — For all intents and purposes, the AR-15 and rifles like it are weapons of war. A thread:

Those opposed to assault weapon bans continue to play games with AR-15 semantics, pretending there’s some meaningful differences between it and the M4 carbine that the military carries. There really aren’t.

The military began a transition from the M16 to the M4, an improved M16, some years ago. The AR-15 is essentially the civilian version of the M16. The M4 is really close to the M16, and the AR-15.

So what’s the difference between the military’s M4 and the original AR-15? Barrel length and the ability to shoot three round bursts. M4s can shoot in three round bursts. AR-15s can only shoot a single shot.

But even now, you can buy AR-15s in variable barrel lengths with Weaver or Picatinny rails for better sights and aiming assists like lasers. Like the military, but w/o the bayonet.

But our troops usually use single shot, not burst fire. You’re able to fire a much more accurate (deadly) shot, that way. Note: you can buy our Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight on Amazon. So troops usually select the same fire option available on AR-15.

That is why the AR-15 is ACCURATELY CALLED a ‘weapon of war.’ It is a very deadly weapon with the same basic functionality that our troops use to kill the enemy. Don’t take the bait when anti-gun-safety folks argue about it. They know it’s true. Now you do too."

Eaton is not the only former military leader who has spoken out in support of gun legislation. In 2019, a group of 13 influential retired military leaders wrote a letter to Congress, pushing it to pass the Bipartisan Background Check Act.

"Each of us has, at some point in our lives, made the choice to risk our lives for our fellow citizens and place ourselves in harm’s way," they wrote. "We were trained, we were coached, and we were prepared for the dangers that we chose to face. This is not the case for most Americans, yet they continue to face danger on the sidewalk, in their homes, at school, and at work. It is in the same spirit that led us to serve in the armed forces that we ask you, our elected leaders, to help protect the American people from gun violence here at home. We urge you to support this legislation."

Police leaders have also voiced strong support for gun legislation, which makes sense considering how much harder and more dangerous our free-for-all gun culture makes their jobs. The International Association of Chiefs of Police, the largest professional association of police leaders in the world, has a position paper that outlines the gun safety laws it supports, including firearm offender registration, waiting periods, closing the gun show loophole, banning semiautomatic assault weapons, armor-piercing ammunition, bulletproof body armor and more. The IACP states that these are “common sense policies that would assist in reducing gun violence, while upholding the second amendment.”

Yep, the largest police leader association supports banning semiautomatic assault weapons like the AR-15. Here’s what it has to say about that:

“First passed in 1994, the assault weapons ban required domestic gun manufacturers to stop production of semi-automatic assault weapons and ammunition magazines holding more than ten rounds except for military or police use. While the ban was in place, it was remarkably effective in reducing the number of crimes involving assault weapons. In the period of the ban, (1994-2004) the proportion of assault weapons traced to crimes fell by a dramatic 66 percent.”

If those who oppose gun legislation don’t want to listen to people who don’t know enough about guns to speak authoritatively on them, that's fine. Perhaps they should listen to these military and police leaders who not only know guns inside and out, but who also have the firsthand experience on both sides of the barrel to speak authoritatively on what can help minimize America’s gun violence.


This article originally appeared on 06.04.22

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Woman featured in iconic Great Depression photo didn't know she was famous until 40 years later

Florence Owens Thompson later revealed she wished her photo had never been taken.

the great depression; Florence Thompson; Mona Lisa of the Great Depression; Mona Lisa; the depression; depression era
Photo by Dorothea Lange via Library of Congress
The woman from the famous Great Depression photo didn't know about her fame for 40 years.

It's one of the most iconic and haunting photos of all time, up there with the likes of Hindenburg, The Falling Soldier, Burning Monk, Napalm Girl, and many others. It's called simply Migrant Mother, and it paints a better picture of the time in which it was taken than any book or interview possibly could.

Nearly everyone across the globe knows Florence Owens Thompson's face from newspapers, magazines, and history books. The young, destitute mother was the face of The Great Depression, her worried, suntanned face looking absolutely defeated as several of her children took comfort by resting on her thin frame. Thompson put a human face and emotion behind the very real struggle of the era, but she wasn't even aware of her role in helping to bring awareness to the effects of the Great Depression on families.

It turns out that Dorothea Lange, the photographer responsible for capturing the worry-stricken mother in the now-famous photo, told Thompson that the photos wouldn't be published.

Of course, they subsequently were published in the San Francisco News. At the time the photo was taken, Thompson was supposedly only taking respite at the migrant campsite with her seven children after the family car broke down near the campsite. The photo was taken in March 1936 in Nipomo, California when Lange was concluding a month's long photography excursion documenting migrant farm labor.

the great depression; Florence Thompson; Mona Lisa of the Great Depression; Mona Lisa; the depression; depression era Worried mother and children during the Great Depression era. Photo by Dorthea Lange via Library of Congress

"Migrant worker" was a term that meant something quite different than it does today. It was primarily used in the 30s to describe poverty-stricken Americans who moved from town to town harvesting the crops for farmers.

The pay was abysmal and not enough to sustain a family, but harvesting was what Thompson knew as she was born and raised in "Indian Territory," (now Oklahoma) on a farm. Her father was Choctaw and her mother was white. After the death of her husband, Thompson supported her children the best way she knew how: working long hours in the field.

"I'd hit that cotton field before daylight and stay out there until it got so dark I couldn't see," Thompson told NBC in 1979 a few years before her death.

the great depression; Florence Thompson; Mona Lisa of the Great Depression; Mona Lisa; the depression; depression era A mother reflects with her children during the Great Depression. Photo by Dorthea Lange via Library of Congress

When talking about meeting Thompson, Lange wrote in her article titled "The Assignment I'll Never Forget: Migrant Mother," which appeared in Popular Photography, Feb. 1960, "I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. I did not ask her name or her history. She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed."

Lange goes on to surmise that Thompson cooperated because on some level she knew the photos would help, though from Thompson's account she had no idea the photos would make it to print. Without her knowledge, Thompson became known as "The Dustbowl Mona Lisa," which didn't translate into money in the poor family's pocket.

In fact, according to a history buff who goes by @baewatch86 on TikTok, Thompson didn't find out she was famous until 40 years later after a journalist tracked her down in 1978 to ask how she felt about being a famous face of the depression.

@baewatch86

Florence Thompson, American Motherhood. #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #historytok #americanhistory #migrantmother #thegreatdepression #dorthealange #womenshistory

It turns out Thompson wished her photo had never been taken since she never received any funds for her likeness being used. Baewatch explains, "because Dorothea Lange's work was funded by the federal government this photo was considered public domain and therefore Mrs. Florence and her family are not entitled to the royalties."

While the photo didn't provide direct financial compensation for Thompson, the "virality" of it helped to feed migrant farm workers. "When these photos were published, it immediately caught people's attention. The federal government sent food and other resources to those migrant camps to help the people that were there that were starving, they needed resources and this is the catalyst. This photo was the catalyst to the government intercepting and providing aid to people," Baewatch shares.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

As for Lange, Migrant Mother was not her only influential photograph of the Great Depression. She captured many moving images of farmers who had been devastated by the Dust Bowl and were forced into a migrant lifestyle.

"Broke, baby sick, and car trouble!" is just one of her many incredible photos from the same year, 1937.

She also did tremendous work covering Japanese internment in the 1940s, and was eventually inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum and the National Women's Hall of Fame.

the great depression; Florence Thompson; Mona Lisa of the Great Depression; Mona Lisa; the depression; depression era Families on the move suffered enormous hardships during The Great Depression.Photo by Dorthea Lange via Library of Congress

Thompson did find some semblance of financial comfort later in life when she married a man named George Thompson, who would be her third husband. In total, she had 10 children. When Thompson's health declined with age, people rallied around to help pay her medical bills citing the importance of the 1936 photo in their own lives. The "Migrant Mother" passed away in 1983, just over a week after her 80th birthday. She was buried in California.

"Florence Leona Thompson, Migrant Mother. A legend of the strength of American motherhood," her gravestone reads.

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Communication expert shares 3 simple 'power moves' to not take criticism personally

“If I hear something that’s offensive, I’ll be like ‘okay, that’s trash.’ In my mind, I grab it with my right hand…and throw it.”

jefferson fisher, conversation, conversation tips, communications expert, podcast, jefferson fisher podcast, winning an argument
Photo credit: Canva

Standing your ground in a peaceful way is possible.

Even the most skilled small talkers among us might struggle when receiving negative feedback that feels like a personal attack. The temptation to fight back or stonewall is understandably strong. Our darker emotions become ignited, which sets off rejection stories in our mind before any clear thinking can take place.

The result: we dish out the same energy we’re given. Or, we shut down completely. Either way, we don’t get a lot accomplished.

But personal injury attorney and communications expert Jefferson Fisher, who shares all kinds of simple conversation tips, argues that keeping your cool in these heated moments all comes down to three “power moves.”

During a clip of his Jefferson Fisher podcast, the conversation guru first offered up a handy visualization: during moments of facing criticism, he imagines a giant trash can next to him, which collects all the negative feedback. He then “sifts” through the words, separating any snark as “trash” to get to what’s actually worth responding to.

“If I hear something that’s offensive, I’ll be like ‘okay, that’s trash.’ In my mind, I grab it with my right hand…and throw it.”

Dumping Trash Daniel Labelle GIFfrom Dumping Trash GIFs

That concept alone might be enough to avoid getting your feathers ruffled in many sticky situations. But below are the three easy strategies that can go a little further when someone is being offensive.

Power Move #1: Silence

Not saying anything after getting a snarky comment gives the other person the chance to take in their word choice, which Fisher argues often prompts them to apologize on their own.

“You’ve just exposed instead of covering it up…If you just let that silence sit there, oftentimes they go ‘sorry I shouldn’t have said that.’”

Power Move Strong GIFfrom Power Move GIFs

Power Move # 2: Acknowledge that the feedback could be true, rather than that it is

In these instances, Fisher encourages saying “Maybe you’re right,” which embraces humility without being a doormat.

Power Move #3: Holding off on the timing

In other words, this means not responding when you are angry and triggered.

To initiate a later time, Fisher suggests saying something like, “Let’s have this out…I don’t really have my thoughts together on that. Why don’t we talk about that at noon tomorrow?”

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Fisher added the caveat that context about who this person is in your life will determine which of these steps you might take. Overall, the main goal stays the same: asserting your value while steering the conversation towards what’s actually productive to discuss. No fighting back required.

You can find more cool tips just like this one on Fisher’s YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

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In an iconic 1975 clip, a teenage Michael Jackson stuns Cher during hypnotic robot dance duet

The clip marks a turning point in Michael Jackson's iconic public persona.

jacksons, michael jackson, robot dance, Cher, 1970s TV
via Cher/YouTube

Cher and The Jackson 5 doing the robot dance.

One of the most distinctive aspects of Michael Jackson's mega-stardom was that he grew up almost entirely in the public eye. He began performing with his brothers at age five and remained a significant figure in American pop culture until he died in 2009.

He burst onto the scene as a child with an incredibly soulful voice. He became an electrifying performer as a teen before rocketing to superstardom at 20 with the release of his first solo album, 1979's Off the Wall. One of the pivotal moments when the public witnessed this transformation came in 1975, when 16-year-old Michael performed with his brothers, The Jackson 5, on The Cher Show.

The Jackson 5 and Cher performed a medley of the band's biggest hits, including "I Want You Back," "I'll Be There," and "Never Can Say Goodbye." But the most memorable moment came when Michael and his brothers broke into the robot dance during "Dancing Machine," and Cher did her best to keep up.

The Jackson 5 and Cher do the robot dance

It's fun watching Cher try to fall in line with the Jacksons, while Michael absolutely kills it, gyrating like an animatronic on hyperdrive during his solo.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

The Jackson 5 may have helped bring the robot dance into the public consciousness by incorporating it into performances of their 1973 hit "Dancing Machine." But it traces back to mechanical "mannequin" dances from the early days of film. In the 1960s, Robin Shields, a popular mime, performed as a robot on late-night talk shows. By the 1970s, dancers had set those moves to music on shows such as Soul Train.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

In a 2003 interview, Cher said she had to learn the moves on the fly from the Jacksons.

"Think of how hard it was for me to learn to do that, and the guys just knew how to do it. I've been working all day, and they just came on and said, 'Okay, sure, this is how you do it,'" Cher recalled. "I had a lot of fun on that show. It was a lot of work, but I had a lot of fun. You know, and I got to work with some great people."

What's also notable about the performance is that Michael's voice had changed, and he sang in a deeper register than he had as a child a few years earlier.

Things changed for Cher and the Jacksons in 1976

By the following year, things had changed for both The Jackson 5 and Cher. Cher reunited with her ex-husband, Sonny Bono, for The Sonny and Cher Show, which ran until 1977. In 1976, The Jackson 5 left Motown Records for Epic Records and changed their name to The Jacksons. Jermaine Jackson temporarily left the group to pursue a solo career, and he was replaced by his brother, Randy.

Here's The Jackson 5's complete performance on The Cher Show from March 16, 1975:

- YouTube www.youtube.com

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Joy

The two ways people who may not be naturally funny can show they have a great sense of humor

A great sense of humor is one of the most likable traits a person can have.

man luaghing, woman laughing, laughing on date, wine, happy couple
via Canva/Photos

A man and woman laughing on a date.

A sense of humor is often ranked among the most desirable traits in a romantic partner, with women rating it higher than men. Studies show that, in heterosexual relationships, the more times a man tries to be funny and the more a woman laughs, the greater the chance that the woman is interested. If a couple laughs together, the greater the chance of true love.

Why is a sense of humor so attractive? It makes people more enjoyable to be around, helps people bond, and makes awkward or even painful moments more bearable. On a deeper level, humor is a great way to determine whether someone is a creative thinker with a novel approach to solving problems.

But what about people who aren't comfortable cracking jokes and don’t have their brains constantly tuned to the “be witty” channel? Vanessa Van Edwards, a communications expert and author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People, says there are two ways to show they still have a great sense of humor.

@vvanedwards

Is Humor More Attractive Than Looks? | @The Diary Of A CEO

Van Edwards shared her thoughts on an episode of the Diary of a CEO podcast. During the podcast, she noted that there are two roles people can play in a conversation: a driver and a passenger. The driver is the person steering the conversation, while the passenger is along for the ride.

How do people who aren’t great at cracking jokes show they have a sense of humor?

1. Be a great laugher

"So, you are going to be the best passenger ever. You're going to laugh at the joke. You're going to bang on the table. I love table bangers. You know, I have people in my life who are not very funny, but they love to bang on the table when I tell a funny joke, and that makes me feel so good. They don't need to be funny. I'm happy to try. Right? So, if you're not funny, just be very good at hyping up other funny people."


2. Be a great curator of humor

"You also could be a curator of funny. You find the best funny gifts. You find the best funny clips. You share the best funny posts. Like, you don't have to be funny to be a curator of funny. Like, I have a friend who's not that funny, but he has the best clips and memes that he sends me. And so I think of him as funny even though he's never told a joke."

Watch the entire segment here.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Van Edwards added that if people genuinely want to improve their sense of humor, they can take an improv class to learn how to be funny in the moment. “A lot of humor is just trying things and seeing if they land. So if you're not funny and you want to be and like something good to work on, take an improv class and work on being funny on stage.”

Van Edwards' advice is excellent for those who thought they would never be seen as funny. Her words are a great reminder that even though many great communicators seem to have talent that comes naturally, it's a skill set, and like anything else, there are always ways to learn and improve.

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Fascinating 'Dark-fly' experiment has finally allowed scientists to measure evolution in real time

The long-running experiment has tracked changes in over 1,500 generations of fruit flies since 1954.

science, scientists, evolution, adaptation, mutation, genes, DNA, fruit flies, humans, health, futurology
By André Karwath/Wikimedia Commons & Photo credit: Canva

An experiment running since 1954 has taught scientists valuable information about how evolution really works.

Evolution usually occurs so slowly that it's imperceptible to the naked eye. Simple adaptations can take thousands of years to take hold, far too long for any of us to notice. But just because it's slow doesn't mean it's not happening. Humans, for example, aren't growing wings or gills (as far as any of us can tell), but we are evolving "faster than ever before," mostly in subtle ways such as food tolerance, disease resistance, and brain size.

One fascinating project that was started decades ago has allowed scientists to track and measure evolutionary changes in real time by speed-running evolutionary adaption in a heavily controlled lab setting.

In 1954, Japanese ecologist Syuiti Mori launched what would become one of the longest-running active experiments in the world. He enclosed a colony of fruit flies in glass bottles, covered them with cloth, and placed them in complete darkness.

They would remain there for the next 72 years and counting.


science, scientists, evolution, adaptation, mutation, genes, DNA, fruit flies, humans, health, futurology Dark flies and wild fruit flies look almost identical, but have significant genetic differences. Photo by Luke Peterson on Unsplash

Fruit flies are often used in this type of research because they reproduce incredibly quickly. Eggs typically hatch into maggots within a day or two. Within two weeks, they mature into sexually active adults that begin mating and laying eggs. New generations can cycle rapidly, which makes fruit flies the perfect candidate for tracking genetic changes over time.

Perhaps more surprisingly, fruit flies actually share quite a bit of DNA with humans. Researcher Stephanie Mohr tells Harvard Health that fruit fly genes are about 60% similar to human genes, with even greater overlap in disease-related markers. That makes them a surprisingly effective model for studying human genetics at a simplified level.

Mori's flies bred in complete darkness, rapidly producing generations that had never seen the light of day. Today, the experiment continues under successive generations of leading researchers, during which the colony has produced more than 1,500 generations.

Researchers access, feed, and study the flies using a weak red light that the flies cannot detect. For decades, they've been able to perfectly control the conditions from generation to generation. The Genetics Society of America writes: "The stock of flies has now spent more than 1,500 generations without light. In human terms, that would be like sequestering generations of our ancestors in the dark for 30,000 years."

Adaptation is slow, but that is more than enough time to measure changes, if any occur.


science, scientists, evolution, adaptation, mutation, genes, DNA, fruit flies, humans, health, futurology The project has been passed down from researcher to researcher for 70 years. Photo by CDC on Unsplash

The research team quickly discovered that after several generations, the new variety they had created, fittingly called "Dark-fly," performed better in darkness than wild flies.

The two subspecies look nearly identical, but the Dark-fly has longer head bristles used for sensory perception, a stronger sense of smell, and a tendency to lay more eggs in dark conditions.

Researchers even created mixed colonies of wild flies and dark flies, allowing them to interbreed in darkness, and found that Dark-fly DNA was more likely to be passed on to future generations.

In 2012, the full genome of the Dark-fly was sequenced by Naoyuki Fuse, who had taken over the project a few years earlier.

According to Bioedonline.org, "Fuse and his colleagues sequenced the dark-fly genome, identifying 220,000 single-letter differences in its DNA and several thousand larger DNA insertions or deletions, compared with a normal fruit-fly strain."

The team was able to pinpoint which genes changed over time and how, offering rare insight into how evolution works.

Scientists are quick to note that living in darkness does not directly cause changes in the flies' DNA. Instead, natural selection favors mutations and traits that help the flies thrive, making them more likely to be passed on to future generations. Some differences may simply be due to random chance, or genetic drift.


- YouTube www.youtube.com

Adaptations in extreme environments have been observed before. Some insects, including bedbugs, are becoming resistant to pesticides. The Mexican tetra, also known as the blind cave fish, has lost functional eyesight after generations of living in pitch-black caves. And a number of animals have adapted to rapidly warming climates.

But recording and measuring these changes in a controlled laboratory environment is extremely rare. Outside the Dark-fly experiment, other long-running studies have tracked colonies of E. coli and yeast under various conditions. But there's something incredibly exciting about observing a living, breathing species as it rapidly adapts to thrive in unnatural conditions.

One day, studies like this one could help scientists rewire human brains and genetics to protect against disease, among other amazing applications.

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