by Bob Purssell
[18] When my mother characterized a person as “average,” they were worthless in her eyes.
[19] Reference to the student shooting incident at Columbine High School (20 April 1999).
[20]Bally’s Jubilee! topless dancer.
[21] NAEP: National Assessment of Educational Progress.
[22] Dress: Jargon for those players selected to participate in a contest.
[23] Wagner Act: Officially the National Labor Relations Act (5 July 1935).
[24] Androgynous: sexless.
[25] Letter to Representative Joseph W. Martin, Jr. dated 20 March 1951.
[26] in play: financial jargon for the bidding to acquire a company.
[27]Milonguera: skilled female tango dancer.
[28] IW: Information Warfare.
[29] Smoking: smoking marijuana.
[30] UTI: urinary tract infection.
[31] NTSB: National Transportation Safety Board.
[32] 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War: conflict 12 July – 14 August 2006, in Lebanon and northern Israel.
[33] Gridley: From Admiral Dewey’s famous quote, “Fire away, Gridley.”
[34] C and E Christian: a nominal Christian who attends services only on Christmas and Easter.
[35] Hyde-like: Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886).
[36] real time: practically instantaneous.
[37] CAP: Carrier Air Patrol; the aircraft deployed to protect the task force from air and missile attack.
[38] Jeff Gordon: famous NASCAR race car driver.
[39] Billy Budd: the popular ‘handsome sailor’ of Herman Melville’s, Billy Budd (1924).
[40] Spook: slang for intelligence officer.
[41] Communicator: In 2014, manufacturers merged the functions of the laptop computer and the mobile phone. Possessing high-end compute power and storage capacity, these handheld devices could readily communicate via cellular or, in the case of expensive units, satellite. The enhanced, built-in infrared and USB capabilities easily linked to stationary peripherals like monitors, printers, keyboards, etc. The companies making these new devices spent considerable effort and money giving their offerings catchy names. However, from the beginning, inspired by the Star Trek TV series and movies, the devices were universally known as communicators.
[42] Errol Flynn (1909–1959): movie actor known for his romantic swashbuckling roles and flamboyant lifestyle.
[43] Happy Days Are Here Again: Milton Ager (music), Jack Yellen (lyrics), Lou Levin (vocal) and Leo Reisman and His Orchestra, 1929.
[44] Shit on a shingle: military slang for chipped beef on toast.
[45] Misquote from Shakespeare’s (Act1, Scene Hamlet II): “Frailty, thy name is woman.”
[46] Bureau of Personnel officer who arranges an officer’s assignments.
[47] Paraphrase of Barry Goldwater’s acceptance speech at the 1964 Republican Convention.
[48]“Carburant – Essence, Diesel”: the English translation is “Fuel – Gasoline, Diesel.”
[49] Hamza Alghamdi: the name of a 9/11 hijacker.
[50] The Secretary of State.
[51] Easterwood: Regional airport located at College Station, Texas (IATA: CLL).
[52] Translation of the Arabic expression: المرأة الشيطان
