Going Home...

Howdy All,

I'm going home. In about two months I'll be on my way. Because of the move, I've been real busy. I recently sold my car and successfully completed lots of adminstrative tasks associated with the move. I'll update more as time permits. I may try to somewhat 'photo blog' some of what I'm doing.

That's it!

TEMPEST In A Teapot...

Once again, Wired provides us with an interesting article about the U.S. TEMPEST program during the Cold War.

Russian Mig Shoots Down Georgian Drone

Wired gives us a link to a video showing what's stated to be a Russian Mig shooting down a drone operated by Georgia. It's quite clear and amazing to watch.

Enjoy!

Wind Power

I found this interesting article on Wired News. It's about a small town in Missouri -- of all places that produces more energy than it consumes. There's an apparent typo in the Wired News article (and pointed out in the comments). However, I read the St Louis Post Dispatch article and the numbers there support the contention that the small town of Rock Port, Missouri does indeed produce more electrical power than it consumes through the wind farms that exist there.

ASIDE: I'm slowly getting the major work products for work completed and hope to return to regular blogging in another day or two.

Memories of Geese (not "Goose")

Spook86 at In From the Cold has an interesting article about some of the initiatives that are a part of the BASH program at Langley AFB, Virginia implemented to protect the F-22 (and any other aircraft operating on the field). He also mentions, for context, the crash more than a decade ago of Yukla-27 (an E-3 AWACS). I knew nearly everyone on the E-3 crew that went down. In fact, before leaving his place in Alaska to go fly that day, one of the crew sent me an e-mail. In his message, "Cowboy" thanked me for being a sort of (minor) mentor and for helping him decide to make the move to Elemendorf after his tour in Okinawa ended.


As I'd logged onto my computer that day, as was/is my habit, I started pounding commands into the machine while it was still very slowly processing previous ones. My regular routine was to go directly to e-mail to check for messages, after which I'd go back to the news screen of my ISP to see what was happening in the world. After I hit the "go to e-mail command" the news screen (first screen appearing after log-in) appeared with an alert that a USAF aircraft had crashed in Alaska. Of course, my machine was "committed" to going to e-mail by then but I made a mental note to go back to check that news.



The only e-mail in my queue that day was the e-mail from Cowboy. After briefly bringing me up to date regarding his life, he closed by reporting that he had to go fly and would be heading out the door as soon as he dispatched his message to me. I recall thinking that it was really nice of him to send me that update. I was no longer part of the flying world by then -- having returned to school for another graduate degree. Nevertheless, he was staying in touch. Good on him.

After completing the e-mail check, I went back to the news and discovered the initial vague reports of the crash -- of an E-3. I spent the rest of the morning working the news -- trying to confirm the names of all those involved in the incident and whether or not there were any survivors. First reports were rather sketchy so there was some hope that the jet had simply gone off the end of the runway such as happened to an RC-135 in the Philippines in 1979 with another bunch of folks that I knew and flew with at one time in the past. However, as the news developed, it became clear that the aircraft had gotten airborne so it was apparent that it was a catastrophic crash with certain loss of life.



I've still got a hard copy (just pulled it out looking for something from Cowboy) of an e-mail from "Kack" telling me that "Crusty" was trying to reach me. By the time I received Kack's e-mail, I'd gotten a list of the entire crew. As stated, I knew most if not all of the the crew.

Another one of the crew whose loss I particularly felt was Communication Systems Operator (CSO) Larry DeFrancesco. I'd flown with him less than a year prior on a deployment to the ME. I still vividly recall one 14 plus hour sortie that I flew with him during that trip where his performance from start engines to deplaning was flawless. Although it wasn't common practice to add anything to the debrief after such sorties (everyone would be tired and simply thinking of getting on the bus to return to quarters), I made a point of praising the entire crew for doing a fine job. Then I singled out SrA DeFrancesco -- personally thanking him for "Making me look good" during the flight due to his flawless execution of his duties involving supporting my communications requirements. He was an outstanding performer. The best.

Having flown with a lot of the crew I could sort of visualize who during takeoff would be alert and engaged (typically) and who would be zoned out waiting to get airborne so that the power-up of the system could begin. I know that Larry was monitoring the radio and all internal interphone nets so he knew exactly what was happening when shortly after liftoff the jet ingested numerous Canadian geese in the Number 1 (left outboard) and Number 2 (left inboard) engines. With that kind of asymmetrical thrust (on takeoff power no less) it was a "done deal" that Yukla-27 -- taking off heavy with a full crew and full load of fuel was going to auger in.

Such tragedies are a part of life. Cowboy, Larry and all the rest of them will remain young and vibrant forever. They live on in our memories and we'll never forget them.

As part of the news search that I made that day, I printed all sorts of "news flashes". I still have some of them -- printed on a tractor feed inked-tape printer those many years ago. Here's some of the other news that was reported on the day that Yukla-27 went down.

YUGOSLAVIA
A mass grave containing 540 bodies was found in northwestern Bosnia after the area had been recaptured from rebel Serbs.

NEW YORK
In the terror trial for Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman (and nine others) U.S. District Judge Michael Mukasey was instructing the jury before they began deliberations.

GERMANY
About 30,000 Bavarians protested a ruling by Germany's highest court striking down a state law that mandated crucifixes on classroom walls.

LOS ANGELES
The jurors in the O.J. Simpson murder trial are off for a three-day weekend.

WASHINGTON
The Unabomber had his way: The Washington Post and New York Times published his entire 35,000 word manifesto.

and...

Suspended FBI Deputy Director Larry Potts denied to a Senate panel that he approved improper shoot-on-sight rules for the Ruby Ridge siege of white separatist Randy Weaver.

So the world keeps spinning and people keep getting off and on...

I Dunno...

Aloha,

I do know from my many times in the Kingdom that there is a lot more at play than reporter Ebtihal Muvarek "reports".

Where there is smoke, there is (probably) fire...

Ebtihal, I beseech ye to find the fire!

P.S. This is not a story about "kimchee in space"!

Slowing Down (Temporarily)

Howdy All,

Within the next 72 hours or so, I'm either starting or ending five major projects for my employer. That means that I'll be "busy" for a while.

To "soften the blow" of this announcement, I've decided to create a new category of posts. The new category is "past and present 'scenes'". I'll begin with this post and continue as I see fit.

This first "scene" is a photoshot that I took last autumn of a "Seoul Sunset". It was taken right here in the mother city. Later I'll probably provide shots of similar themes from New Zealand, the United States and various other locals.

Enjoy and I'll be back soonest!

Not All Cultural Values Are Equal

This report of "honour rape" in Punjab, Pakistan, if true, clearly shows that civilization has not yet permeated all parts of the world.

Cyber Threats, Cyber War and the Internet

BusinessWeek has a long but fact-filled article on recent developments in online espionage. I'm aware of the fact that the U.S. government is making some progress in this area such as establishing the USAF Cyber Command and initiating programs such as Byzantine Foothold. The threat is real but as is the case with all new methods of attack, getting people to perceive the danger of the threat is part of the problem.

Iran's Ballistic Missile Developments

Iran's Ballistic Missile Developments

The Christian Science Monitor provides what appears to be a balanced report concerning recent developments in Iranian ballistic missile technology. Both the article and included links are helpful and informative.

And the beat goes on...

The Air In China Must Be Really, Really Bad

The Yonhap News reports that various Olympic athletes are coming to Korea to prepare for the games so as to avoid the horrible air pollution of China. It must be very, very bad in the PRC if a place like Daegu is considered a "good place" (hwang sa and all) to train in "clean air". I suppose it's a case of the lessor of two evils.

This Is Serious...

My dog is tagged so this couldn't happen to me. Someone takes their black Labrador Retriever to a kennel (where seven other black Labs are staying) and later claims that the dog he retrieved a week later was not the dog he left there.

Get your dog tagged!

Bond...James Bond

I actually don't know that much about Ian Fleming or James Bond. Of course, I've watched some (but not all) of the movies, but primarily for entertainment, not knowledge. In my drifting about on the Internet today, I found a number of articles about Fleming and his character Bond in The Times. I don't know why the sudden interest, but I thought that this article was interesting.

I like to share!

UPDATE: Ooops! I should have read the information in the footer of the article. This year (2008) is the centenary of the birth of Ian Fleming. There's a very nice website here all about him and his work.

These Occupants Throw No Stones

While walking about last week taking photos of the various blossoms abounding in the area, I came across an interesting apartment building that was under construction or being remodeled. Upon closer inspection, I determined that only the front portion of the structure was glass. Nevertheless I was impressed.

Enjoy!

Satisfying Unmet Customer Needs: The Invisible Hand

Since I consider myself something of a business person, it always pleases me when I see someone doing things the right way. In the following article, it's clear that Mead has found an unmet customer need -- this time among grad students that they can service. I wish them the best of luck and hope that they find the endeavor profitable.

Tempest in a Teapot?

The "flag word" (spy) used in the title of this article in the Washington Post is somewhat misleading but already setting the tone for alarmist comments (as established by the first comment to the article -- which is all that was there when checked).

As I understand it the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is opening a new office. That office will be called the National Applications Office (NAO). Here's where things get more interesting and where a casual reader (if not already mislead by the article's title) might be lead further astray. Let's see what the article says,

The administration in May 2007 gave DHS authority to coordinate requests for satellite imagery, radar, electronic-signal information, chemical detection and other monitoring capabilities that have been used for decades within U.S. borders for mapping and disaster response. But Congress delayed launch of the new office last October. Critics cited its potential to expand the role of military assets in domestic law enforcement, to turn new or as-yet-undeveloped technologies against Americans without adequate public debate, and to divert the existing civilian and scientific focus of some satellite work to security uses (emphasis added).

What this means is that DHS will not "own" the satellite system nor directly operate it. Instead, the NAO will request that the operator of the system provide the NAO (and the DHS) with imagery, RADINT, SIGINT, chemical detection information, etc. Typically not all requests (from various agencies) have equal priority. We're not told what priority the NAO will have although I would presume that in the event of a significant disaster, their priority would be higher than "routine".

Since the capabilities of the satellite system (not further identified) are finite, the various other government agencies with authority to task the system will drive the degree to which the DHS requests are effectively serviced (or not). That fact is not particularly emphasized (or even addressed in the article). A quick read leaves a careless reader with the likely impression that DHS/NAO is getting their own sat-system to use as they please on targets within the United States.

At first, according to the Post, DHS will use the NAO to request info associated with "...traditional scientific and homeland security activities -- such as tracking hurricane damage, monitoring climate change and creating terrain maps." In other words, Google Earth on steroids. In addition, DHS added,

Sophisticated overhead sensor data will be used for law enforcement once
privacy and civil rights concerns are resolved, he said. The department has previously said the program will not intercept communications (emphasis added).

I presently don't have the time to work up a studied analysis of any/all legal justifications for concern about this program, but at first glance I see very few potential problems (but of course, I don't know what the actual capabilities of these satellite systems actually are thus it is entirely possible that if I did know the "collection power" of these systems my attitude would change). I will try to follow this story to see how it evolves.

Stay tuned for (possible) updates....

Iowahawk At His Usual Best

My words are inadequate. Read the I-Hawk's words yourself.

Innovations In War

This article is actually about medical innovations occurring in military hospitals in Iraq. However, the following statement also makes clear that our opponents are also constantly innovating.

To punctuate his remarks, the base's warning siren sounds, and a recorded voice intones, "Incoming. Incoming. Incoming." In the E.R., medical staffers nonchalantly lay aside scalpels, intubation tubes, anesthesia drips, to don helmets and armored vests before returning to work. Somewhere on the far side of the base, four staggered mortar explosions resound. The only surprise, one trauma doctor tells me later, is that the blasts were spread out over several seconds. "Usually, they're bangbangbang."

The next morning, an explanation. The enemy has perfected a new ploy: placing mortar tubes into buckets of water, which are then frozen and planted near the wire in the middle of the night. When the morning sun melts the water, the mortars drop, hit the bottom of the metal buckets, and fire. Because the pails vary in size, the water melts at different rates, producing the staggered firing effect.

Simply amazing...

Let's Solve the Problem By Having a Workshop!

I'm appalled by the information and thinking of many of the people quoted in this article. Assaulting another human being (without some reasonable justification such as self defenses) is a crime. There are no "trigger words" that can justify attacking another person in school.

You Bet I'm Worried!

News like this makes me somewhat concerned about the properties that I own near Kilauea.

I guess I should have known better since the places are just outside of a town named Volcano!

I acquired this photo from the website VolcanoVillage.com. Today I wasn't able to access the website to confirm it's policy regarding use of the materials from that site.

Yellow Sand

Hwang sa -- yellow sand blows westward from China to Japan and Korea. I live in Seoul so sometimes knowing how bad it is can be very important. Here's how I keep track of the hwang sa levels in my life.

First Part Okay, Second Part Dumb...

I was just bouncing around and began to read this article. It started okay (I'm no expert in this area but it seemed to make sense). Since I was learning something, I continued.

Then I made it to the second half of this (dumb) article about "good government.

Essentially the author went from a relatively (to me at least) objective recounting of facts and suddenly transitioned into a subjective "interpretation" of selected statements, etc.

Even I could tell that!

It's Not Only in the West...(more)

Well I guess that metal thieves are a scourge of civilization everywhere as this report from the Arab News documents.

"Swiftly" Replaced?

So AQ mastermind Abu Obaidah al-Masri is reportedly dead (again). That's a sort of fact (assuming that it's accurate!). However, the opening statement of the article seems a tad "embellished"(?).

To whit:

Abu Obaidah al-Masri, a senior militant planner for Al Qaeda and the alleged mastermind behind the 2005 London transportation bombings, has reportedly died last year in Afghanistan. Although Mr. Masri has been noted as a key Al Qaeda figure, security analysts say that his position will likely be swiftly filled as the network appears to be regrouping in the remote Afghan-Pakistani border region (emphasis added).

It's reassuring to know that the Reporter Spencer has connections to top-notch security analysts who postulate that this important (and presumably vacant) position in the AQ hierarchy "will likely be swiftly filled."

I'm so very glad that they figured that out.

Not Down and Out Yet...

I've been extremely busy with work and travel lately so I haven't been able to get much done around here. I'm still catching up.

I'm glad to see that this scandal continues to be investigated. Things that I'd heard earlier about it just didn't seem right. The facts as I know them, if true, means that another nation (the Saudis) essentially dictated the inner judicial workings of the Brits by influencing the British government enough to force them (the Brits) to drop their initial investigation (on the orders of then PM Blair).

Bad form indeed.

POWER!

If you have the time, check this out. In particular, take a look at the "Beyond 2000" video. Although not a panacea for all of our energy problems, I find this particular approach very persuasive. I've been watching them for about 18 months. Their idea has merit.

I approve!

It's Not Only In the West...

Arab News reports the problem of powerful green lasers blinding pilots of two different passenger aircraft last week as the planes were on approach into Riyadh for landing. According to the article, the perpetrator was in Thumama (Thumamah), about 30 miles north of King Khalid -- the airfield in Riyadh where the aircraft were attempting to land.

I checked GoogleEarth and there's a small berg to the west of Thumamah airfield. I presume that it probably wasn't that difficult for the police to track down the responsible youth. Having personally observed how the Saudis sometimes dispense justice, it's clear that the young person responsible is probably not enjoying life these days.

Charlton Heston...Goodbye...

This is perhaps the nicest tribute to Charlton Heston that I've encountered so far.

I can't say that he will be missed. It was his time to go. Nevertheless, I'm grateful for what he shared with us through his art.

The Devil Made Me Do It?

Here's an interesting observation from an Army combat medic who served outside of the FOB at least some of the time.

Are some of the claims of PTSD an exaggerated excuse used to forgive otherwise deviant behavior?

The Economy

Engram (and I somewhat agree) seems to think that our economy isn't as bad as many members of the media would have us believe.

Decide for yourself.

Korea: Why Do They Hate Us? Blame Their Teachers

I stumbled across this astonishing article about a survey of prospective students of (South) Korea's military academy. More candidates consider the United States the major enemy of South Korea rather than North Korea.

Why?

Their teachers.

Basra

I must admit that I'm not totally on top of the situation in Basra. I think that these two comments perhaps best summarize what's happening.

UPDATE: Here's one more perspective that seems helpful.

UPDATE #2: An yet a bit more info.

Unemployed Dentists

A recipe for trouble?

Dear Spengler

What should I do?

Kunming to Bankok

By bus in 24 hours!

Huzzah!

We're STILL winning!

:)

What They Don't Tell You...

This is a nice post from someone who obviously cares. I wonder if everyone knows that the E-3's radar is turned off in the photo? How do I know? Because if it wasn't, those F-16 pilots would be getting "tronned" so much that their insides would start cooking.

Another Dipnote

What works in Iraq on the ground there.

Imman Sadr

Darth Sadr indeed...

Buy Low and Sell High?

Maybe I need to sell the two multi-acre parcels that I own near here.

Judge Posner

He comments on intelligence doping.

Law School Rankings....

I stumbled across this. I cringe when I see where my school ended up. Things were so much better "back in the day".

Aging Gracefully...

Thanks to technology...

I Feel Better Now...

I can beat this and have been doing it for years.

Another "Wow" Story...

Sodom and Gomorrah explained?

Closure

Matt Maupin has been found.

UPDATE: More here.

Other Choices...

Aptera!

A Palace Coup

So guess who's running AQ these days?

The Sins of a Tyrant

Chavez and his useful idiots.

A Totally Tone-Deaf Blowhard

Tony McPeak...

Another Interesting Bit of Old News...

Hmmmm,

If confirmed, this would be significant.

Not Such Great News...

Now this isn't exactly great news...

Checking In...

Howdy and Hello!

I just started this so it may take some time before I'm making regular entries.