Archive for June, 2007

Army SSG Christian Bagge – The Real Life Energizer Bunny

June 30th, 2007 by xformed

Thanks to Flag Gazer and her diligence in highlighting the heroes who serve us, I found out SSG Bagge is up for an award and surely could use your vote.


SSG Christian Bagge, US Army and the Commander-in-Chief
The award? The Energizer® Keep Going® Award.SSG Bagge is the man who, while in a hospital bed at Brooke Army Medical Center, told the President he wanted to run with him. A year later, the picture above is the evidence of a man who just kept going, and going, and going….The whole post on SSG Christian Bagge is here on Flag Gazer’s blog…Oh, have you voted yet? GET ON IT!!! (and tell your friends)

Category: Army, Military, Public Service, Supporting the Troops | Comments Off on Army SSG Christian Bagge – The Real Life Energizer Bunny

Operation DVD – Send Your DVDs to the Troops

June 30th, 2007 by xformed

I just caught wind of this yesterday on the radio:

Operation DVD, a program of AMVETS.

Used or new, the plan is to get them to the sandbox, so there’s something for the troops to pick through during their down time. Children’s videos dropped off will be sent to families stateside.

Some background, about one person making a difference:

“Op DVD Kid” Provides Entertainment for Troops
Above is a picture of Zach Cohen, a seventh grader at Charles Boehm Middle School in Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Zach got involved with AMVETS, Operation DVD while searching the internet to find a suitable “mitzvah project” in preparation for his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. When he stumbled upon the Operation DVD website, he knew he had found his match.

As someone who loves to hang out and watch movies with his friends, this effort proved to combine the leisure activities he loved most, with something he thought was very important – supporting our Troops.

“The soldiers do so much for us and for our country, and I want them to get to enjoy whatever free time they have. I can hang out with my friends and watch a movie or listen to music whenever I want, but our soldiers aren’t so lucky. Not only are they fighting in a very dangerous place, but when they have some time off, they don’t have much to do. Hopefully, AMVETS, Operation DVD will make their free time more enjoyable and will make them realize that we really care about them and appreciate what they do”, Zach explains.

“The best part about this effort is that people don’t have to dip into their pockets to help. After you watch a movie once or twice, are you really going to keep watching it? That movie can be enjoyed over and over again by many soldiers, if you just donate it to AMVETS, Operation DVD.”

“The best places to organize collections are anywhere where there is a lot of repeat traffic – such as places of worship, office buildings, health clubs, libraries, etc. Schools have made a huge impact on this effort and more and more are getting involved everyday.”

Zach has already collected over 2,000 DVDs for our Troops (even his local Honor Society has become involved). He is now in the process of working with other school districts and his Congressman.

A big round of applause for Zach Cohen!!!!!

You can donate cash via the site, or drop them off.

COLLECTION BOXES

Specially designed “Collection Boxes” for donated new and used DVDs will be located across the nation at large chains, retail stores, churches and car dealers.

The “Collection Boxes” are 26” high and “vinyl-wrapped” on the four vertical sides with a description of AMVETS, Operation DVD and logos of major sponsors.

Each “Collection Boxes” is designed in such a way that DVDs can be inserted — but not removed. Each box will hold over 250 donated DVDs for our troops.

Pre-paid shipping labels are attached to each “Collection Boxes” for transportation to sorting centers where “Children Titles” will be separated to be sent to the families (stateside) of soldiers serving overseas.
COLLECTION POINTS

Smaller rural areas (with no large chains) will be served by local AMVET posts. Material is supplied on the AMVETS, Operation DVD website for local Press Releases and Media coverage.

I bet you have a few DVDs you know they’d like and you haven’t watched in a while…help them out…it’s lonely when you’re far from home…

Category: Charities, Military, Public Service, Scout Sniping, Supporting the Troops | Comments Off on Operation DVD – Send Your DVDs to the Troops

Deja Vu All Over Again?

June 30th, 2007 by xformed

Just idle thoughts and wondering now what connections will show up in the next few days.

Tony Blair, tough on fighting the War on Terror, steps down. Lord Taylor takes over.

The VERY NEXT DAY, two car bombs in London are identified and disarmed.

Lord Taylor calls the possible perps as “criminals.”

Think about it: There was an election coming in Spain, who had troops in Iraq. Massive explosions ripped through the Madrid train station. The incumbent, who had been ahead, all of a sudden loses to the opponent, who says he’ll pull the troops out.

There wasn’t an election in England for PM, but there was a change over and an opportunity to test the new PM to see what he’s made of. Implied threat: Pull out of the war and tolerate us taking over your society, or we’ll keep slaughtering your citizens with any means available. Harden the airliners as weapons, we’ll go to the Tube. Harden that, and we’ll just drive cars down your streets. See a pattern?

So, I hope Lord Taylor will “grow some” right now.

Not sure what The New PM, Gordon Brown thinks about it, but it sure isn’t an “in your face” speech right away.

Another “deja vu” moment. Some reports of a Bobbie crawling into one of the cars in London immediately getting the cell phone trigger unwired. It sounds like some bystanders at Glasgow airport helped “detain” the men from the vehicle today. Yep, Flight 93 in two dimensions, vice three. Good one those who refuse to shy away from doing the right thing at great personal risk.

More success for the terrorists: They have caused us to suffer extensive personal checks for any air travel, being patted down to attend NFL games, extra scrutiny in may venues of our daily lives. Now, even you “ride” will be looked at with more suspicion. Cars are ubiquitous, to get us to school, and as we see now, as weapons of significant destruction among us. Easy, available, and with trunks full of nuts, bolts and nails…(oh, yes: Suspicion for anyone buying not just large quantities of diesel fuel and fertilizer, but those making large buys of “fasteners”), really bad ju-ju at the Mall, or near a 4th of July Parade.

Boy, does this suck. I can only hope they are sending the most stupid and gullible as drivers, as it appears they did for two days running now.

Great. MSNBC just reported Tony Snow released a note saying there is raised threat levels at airports. I guess we can’t think outside the box….any area where many people are gathering is a potential target. I’d like to think we can get smarter than this.

Update 07/03/2007: Well, The new PM is confused: “Don’t say Terrorists are Muslims Only”. Sigh….

Category: Geo-Political, Leadership, Political | Comments Off on Deja Vu All Over Again?

And I Thought This Issue Would Provide Lots Of Posting Material

June 29th, 2007 by xformed

The “Fairness Doctrine” is toast…thankfully. Representative Mike Pence (R-IN) put this forward.

I was beginning to wonder, after the rumbles following the 2006 elections, and the ones in the last few days, that Congress would make a push to require not only Talk Radio, but the Internet (meaning us bloggers) to be wrapped in litigation, at the worst, or just paying for a service, that half of the cost from your pocket would have to be set up as a forum for “opposing views.”

Thankfully, someone had the brains (many of them) to see that once re-imposed, had the potential to limit all debate/free speech…not just that of Rush Limbaugh, Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved, Bill Bennett, etc…Daniel Ruth, an editorialist for the Tampa Tribune, has a Saturday morning talk show and I have opposing views to about everything he says, so it would have hit his local show in the same manner it would have stiff led the big entities.

Several monumental things happened yesterday. Have to mark it in the calender.

Update, not moments after this post was posted: Mike Pence was on Bill Bennett’s show when I got in the car. It seems this effort took one hour of debate, but it is only attached to the year’s funding for FCC, not letting them cut it off under current appropriations. Mike has introduced the Broadcasters Freedom Act, which is the fix to make it where Congress would be responsible for any speech control issues, not the FCC. Keep your eye on the ball.

Also, as far as the votes for this amendment, Mike said the Dem leadership voted soundly against this effort, indicating that if they gain control of the White House and retain control of Congress, the “Fairness Act” could come roaring back with a vengeance.

Category: Political | Comments Off on And I Thought This Issue Would Provide Lots Of Posting Material

As If Global Warming Wasn’t Scary Enough

June 28th, 2007 by xformed

Some commenter at LGF said this:

I can see a new campaign slogan coming after I watched a science program last night:
STOP LUNAR DRIFT!
Apparently, some scientist hundreds of years ago calculated that the moon was gradually moving further away from the Earth. When the Apollo astronauts landed there they positioned a mirror that we have been beaming a laser at in order to calculate the distance. That long ago scientist was correct; it is moving about 1 1/2 inch further away from Earth every year. Alert AlGore!

I’m most thinking it may have something to do with humans populating Earth…

Category: Humor, Public Service | Comments Off on As If Global Warming Wasn’t Scary Enough

Try Not to Think of the Outcome….

June 28th, 2007 by xformed

embedded by Embedded Video

From Digital Armageddon.

What it hackers (or all flavors of ideology) banded together to make the big push to break the DES coding algorithm?

Just a thought…

Category: Technology | 1 Comment »

Marine by the Fire’s Light

June 28th, 2007 by xformed

One of those great shots….

Marine by Firelight (click pic for larger image)
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Robert B. Brown, with Combat Camera Unit, Regimental Combat Team 6, watches over the civilian firefighters at the burn pit as smoke and flames rise into the night sky behind him in Camp Fallujah, Iraq.Photo Credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Samuel D. Corum.

Category: Marines, Military | Comments Off on Marine by the Fire’s Light

Yusufiyah-area Men Flock to IP Recruitment Drive – CENTCOM News

June 28th, 2007 by xformed

From the news feed from CENTCOM, it seems the Iraqi populace is stepping up to the plate? To be on the winning side or to have a stake in getting their country back on their feet? Encouraging? Certainly. In the MSM? Nope. Multi-National Force-Iraq has it, Fort Drum (10th Mountain Division Base) PAO released it….but Dogpile doesn’t show any other significant releases.

27 Jun 07
Courtesy Story

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Over 1,200 Iraqi men came to Joint Security Station in Yusufiyah during a three-day police recruitment drive that ended June 25.

The drive, orchestrated by the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) from Fort Drum, N.Y., the 23rd Military Police Company, 503rd MP Battalion, 16th MP Brigade, from Fort Bragg, N.C., and the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, began June 23 to increase Iraqi police manning in the 4-31 “Polar Bears’” area of operations.

Capt. Brent Dittenber, commander, Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), from Fort Drum, N.Y., checks the names of applicants for the Iraqi police force with Iraqi army staff officers. The recruitment drive was June 23-25. Photo courtesy of Joint Combat Camera Center.The goal was to find 200 qualified Iraqi police officers. When the drive began at 8 a.m., there were almost 200 men waiting in line to apply.

Gen. David Petraeus, the Multi-National Force-Iraq commander, visited the recruitment efforts the first day and spoke to several potential recruits and encouraged them to serve their country.

Five hundred seventy-seven applicants were processed the first day. Another 150 were waiting in line the second day and by mid-afternoon 361 had filled out applications and spoken with the troops.

Officials accepted 252 applications on June 25.
[..]

Need photographic evidence?

Working Together (Click the pic for larger image)
Working TogetherBoston native Staff Sgt. Robin Johnson (left), with Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, and an Iraqi army soldier from 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division, work together during Operation Tiger Hammer, a combined cordon and search mission in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah District June 7.Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael Pryor.

Linked to open post at: Little Green Footballs

Category: Army, Geo-Political, History, Military, Military History | Comments Off on Yusufiyah-area Men Flock to IP Recruitment Drive – CENTCOM News

Ropeyarn Sunday “Sea Stories” and Open Trackbacks

June 27th, 2007 by xformed

You’re free to post your links…

Last seen about 2100, heading for my stateroom at the end of the second 8 hours of the day behind me.

Step in, close the door (it’s been open since just before breakfast), walk over and turn on the idiot box mounted on the aft bulkhead to see what’s playing on the two channels. Settle on one of them. Bend down, retrieve the plastic bottle of squeeze cheese (courtesy of mother-in-law’s care packages) from the small refrigerator. Grab bag of toastitos, reduced to generally more smaller pieces than large due to handling in shipment, but, a little bit of “the World” in my hands.

Park in the chair at my desk, rest my feet on the surface, just inside the stateroom door and begin to consume the chips garnished with cheese. Watch the movie semi-mindlessly, while still considering what there is left to get done. After a sufficient amount of my snack to slow down for a few minutes, sit properly and begin to sift through the mail and other items in the in box. Read, think, consider, jot a few things on the AW-SHOOT list by hand (will enter them first thing in the morning), and clear the box. File action stuff in the notebook (supporting “linked” information for the tickler), or the desk drawer folders. A few hours of this and it’s taken care of for the night.

About 2300, retrieve the data from star sightings from earlier in the evening. “Reduce” the info by hand (means doing lots of math) until the sighting angle and distance towards or away along that line. Repeat until all 5 or 6 stars are figured. Get out the plotting paper and plot the assumed position, then the lines of position and the distances as computed. Early on, this was then “scratch my head time to figure out what I’d use as the “fix.” Later on, my use of the sextant became more precise and the answer to the point was much easier to determine. “Growl” the Bridge and ask the Quartermaster of the Watch to get me the position from closest to the star time fix. Plot the Ship’s position from other means (electronic usually) and determine how far off I was in my navigation efforts.

By now, it’s right about midnight. The watch has turned over (2345) and the 00-04 (Midwatch) personnel should all be on station. Get up and head by Radio (port side, enroute the Bridge), grab any new traffic, scan the space for anything that seems to be out of the ordinary. Head to the Bridge, then down to CIC, then down and aft to Central Control Station (CCS). Wander about the aft end of the ship below deck in the red lit spaces, then head back to my stateroom, assured it’s just another routine night.

About 0100, climb into the rack. The day is done.

Maybe that wasn’t very exciting, but it was a day in the life of an FFG-7 XO’s day on a deployment to the Middle East when there were no wars going on in the neighborhood.

Category: "Sea Stories", Military, Navy, Open Trackbacks | Comments Off on Ropeyarn Sunday “Sea Stories” and Open Trackbacks

Very Useful Legal Reading Regarding Blogging

June 27th, 2007 by xformed

Stumbling about in the link forest I came across an article discussing blogging and Federal law.

So…from Aviva Directory here are the twelve points discussed in “Blog Law”:

  • Whether to Disclose Paid Posts
  • Is Deep Linking Legal?
  • The Legal Use of Images and Thumbnails
  • Laws that Protect You From Stolen Content
  • Domain Name Trademark Issues
  • Handling Private Data About Your Readers
  • Who Owns User-Developed Content and Can You Delete It
  • The Duty to Monitor Your Blog Comments, and Liability
  • Basic Tax Law Issues in Blogging
  • Limited Liability Laws and Incorporating
  • Spam Laws and Which Unsolicited Emails are Legal
  • Are Bloggers Protected from Journalism Shield Laws?

I’ll have to take the time to read it closely. It certainly looks comprehensive and I strongly recommend you put down what you’re reading and get over there to see how Federal law may work for, or against you. In the meantime, I’d recommend we spread the word….

Category: Blogging, Public Service | Comments Off on Very Useful Legal Reading Regarding Blogging

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