[FoxNews] As powerful wind gusts whipped trees on the grounds of the Arlington National Cemetery, a lone soldier continued their watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Saturday as rain lashed the area during severe storms.
Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as "The Old Guard," stand watch over the Tomb of the Unknown 365 days a year, even in horrible weather.
On Saturday, the Tombs Guards, or Sentinels, continued their watch as hurricane-force winds roared through the Washington D.C. area. Winds uprooted trees in the District and caused widespread damages. The damage was likely caused by a downburst, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
The National Weather Service said wind gusts with the line of storms were estimated to top 80 mph and were accompanied by torrential rainfall and frequent lightning.
A gust of 59 mph was recorded at a weather station near Arlington National Cemetery.
Debris after the severe storms in the DC metro. (@RealMReynolds)
Video recorded during the storm on Saturday shows the Sentinel continuing to take the 21-step march back and forth in the pouring rain. The wind can be heard howling in the video.
According to the Society of the Honor Guard, the Tombs Guard has contingencies if the weather conditions put a soldier at risk, including for lightning and high winds. The Old Guard continued its watch even during Hurricane Isabel in 2003, which brought a 6-to-8-foot storm surge to parts of Virginia.
The white marble tomb is the final resting place for one of America’s unidentified World War I service members exhumed in France and brought home to the U.S. in 1921. Since then, two other unidentified soldiers have been laid to rest at the Tomb in 1958 and another in 1984. The Tomb has been guarded 24 hours a day since 1937.
[FoxNews] The ‘That’s What I Love About Sunday’ singer previously served 17 years in the Army and Army Reserve.
Craig Morgan is still dedicated to serving his country.
On Saturday, the musician was sworn in again at age 59 to the U.S. Army Reserve on stage at the Grand Ole Opry in front of a sold-out audience.
"I’m excited to once again serve my country and be all I can be in hopes of encouraging others to be a part of something greater than ourselves," Morgan shared in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"I love being an artist but I consider it a true privilege and honor to work with what I believe are the greatest of Americans, my fellow soldiers. God Bless America. Go Army."
The "That’s What I Love About Sunday" singer previously served 17 years in the Army and Army Reserve with the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions as an E-6 Staff Sergeant and Fire Support Specialist and including Airborne, Air Assault and Rappel Master among his certifications.
With his reenlistment, Morgan will hold the rank of Staff Sergeant and Warrant Officer.
"Every Soldier who enters the Army has the opportunity to become the best version of themselves, and Staff Sgt. Morgan is no exception. I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes and how he impacts other Soldiers around the Army," General Andrew Poppas, who officiated the ceremony, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Morgan will also continue touring and releasing music.
The day of the ceremony, Morgan shared a throwback photo of himself in uniform with the caption, "Once a soldier, always a soldier I love our country."
Morgan has also worked with the USO, and has earned the Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Medal and the USO Merit Award.
Last year, Morgan told Fox News Digital that despite growing up in a musical family with his father and uncles, he hadn't considered it more than a hobby.,
"It never seemed like it was something that was a career for them, even though it kind of was, at times, and especially for me, even throughout my military career," he said at the time.
"It wasn't until later in my military career that I thought that I could possibly pursue it as a profession."
During his time in the service, he won awards for songs that he wrote and performed for his fellow soldiers.
The "Almost Home" singer rose steadily through the ranks and was told by one of his senior officers that he was on the fast track to becoming a major.
"But he also told me, he said, ‘I think that you have a talent and at minimum you ought to pursue it,’" Morgan recalled.
[AlAhram] The Biden administration believes China has implanted malware in key US power and communications networks in a "ticking time bomb" that could disrupt the military in event of a conflict, The New York Times
...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported Saturday.
The Times, quoting US military, intelligence and security officials, said the malware potentially gave China's People's Liberation Army the ability to disrupt US military operations if Beijing were to move against Taiwan at some point.
The systems affected, the Times said, could allow China not only to cut off water, power and communications to US military bases, but also to homes and businesses across the United States.
The report comes two months after Microsoft warned that state-sponsored Chinese hackers had infiltrated critical US infrastructure networks.
Microsoft singled out Guam, a US Pacific territory with a vital military outpost, as one target but said malicious activity had also been detected elsewhere in the United States.
It said the stealthy attack, carried out since mid-2021, was likely aimed at hampering the United States in the event of a regional conflict.
Authorities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Britannia warned at the same time that Chinese hacking was likely taking place globally, affecting an extensive range of infrastructure.
Discovery of the malware, the Times said, sparked a series of meetings in the White House Situation Room involving top military, intelligence and national security officials in an effort to track down and eradicate the code.
The newspaper quoted one congressional official as saying the malware operation amounted to "a ticking time bomb."
The White House issued a statement Friday that made no mention of China or military bases.
"The Biden administration is working relentlessly to defend the United States from any disruptions to our critical infrastructure, including by coordinating interagency efforts to protect water systems, pipelines, rail and aviation systems, among others," said Adam Hodge, acting front man for the National Security Council.
He added that President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. We get to suffer the consequences... "has also mandated rigorous cybersecurity practices for the first time."
Reports of the malware operation come at a particularly strained point in US-China relations, with China aggressively asserting its claim that Taiwan is Chinese territory and the US seeking to ban sales of sophisticated semiconductors to Beijing.
[IsraelTimes] Move comes 8 months after Elon Musk’s social media platform banned US rapper for posting swastika interlaced with Star of David; ADL chief calls latest move ‘absolutely sickening’.
Standing by his position that good speech driving out bad is better than employees censoring, even with the best of intentions
#2
Musk is running a business. He must figure that Kanye is a net positive with respect to revenue.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/31/2023 11:59 Comments ||
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#3
I'm amused at all the whining. You'd think some people only got the app for the logo. And the shitty of SF harassing Musk for taking the Sh*tter sign down and putting the X up just seems like pathetic, school-yard level sour grapes. It's not like SF doesn't have plenty of real problems to solve.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/31/2023 12:41 Comments ||
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[Just the News] President Joe Biden appears to be facing increasing demands to declare a climate emergency, like the one declared for the COVID-19 pandemic that had a devastating impact on the country, warns a top advocate for the U.S. oil and gas industry. "They're leaning to that direction," U.S. Oil and Gas Association President Tim Stewart recently told Just the News. "If you grant the president's emergency powers to declare a climate emergency, it's just like COVID."
Stewart also said such a declaration would give the president "vast and unchecked authority to shut down everything from communications to infrastructure."
He said infrastructure would include water and electricity, and that Biden also could freeze assets under such a declaration.
The calls for Biden to declare a climate emergency appear to be growing — amid what is being projected to be the hottest month in recent history and concerns the heat is the result of global warming created by greenhouse gas emmisions.
Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer recently introduced legislation to require Biden to make such a declaration that also was co-sponsored by 62 congressional Democrats.
More recently, the Guardian newspaper published an op-ed reading, "Biden must declare a climate emergency. And he must do so now."
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/31/2023 07:16 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11126 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
If they don’t declare an emergency, it’s probable no one will notice there’s a problem — so they’re running out of time.
#2
It's laughable. acid rain, hole in ozone, global warming , climate change (i'm sure I forgot a couple). Since the 70's they've been trying to do what Decade of Vaccines did in 10 years. Recount MERS, SARS, swine flu, h1n1, covid. Within a decade a COMPLETE global lockdown. Climate crisis won't get it done.
Well, yes. And they were warned, too, but thought they were being clever. It’s especially interesting to find this in Dawn, when Pakistan is still so keen on their own involvement in BRI projects.
[Dawn] Italia made an "improvised and atrocious" decision when it joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) four years ago as it did little to boost exports, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said in an interview published on Sunday.
Italia signed up to the BRI under a previous government, becoming the only major Western country to have taken such a step. Crosetto is part of an administration that is considering how to break free of the agreement.
The BRI scheme envisions rebuilding the old Silk Road to connect China with Asia, Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... and beyond with large infrastructure spending. Critics see it as a tool for China to spread its geopolitical and economic influence.
"The decision to join the (new) Silk Road was an improvised and atrocious act" that multiplied China’s exports to Italia but did not have the same effect on Italian exports to China, Crosetto told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
"The issue today is: how to walk back (from the BRI) without damaging relations (with Beijing). Because it is true that China is a competitor, but it is also a partner," the defence minister added.
After a White House meeting US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. S Joe's wife and daughter weren't killed by a drunk driver. He didn't graduate with three or even two degrees, wasn't in the top half of his law class, and his daddy didn't come home from a hard day's work in the mines and play football with the guys. The NAACP hasn't endorsed him every time he's run.... on Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her government had until December to make a decision on the BRI, and also announced she would soon travel to Beijing.
In an interview on Saturday with the TG5 Italian news programme, Meloni said it was a "paradox" that even if Italia is part of the BRI, it is not the G7 country with the strongest trading links to China.
"This shows that you can have good relations and trading partnerships" even outside of the BRI, she added.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Averyanov
[Regnum] Slovakia is considered one of the most conservative and pro-Russian countries in the European Union. Only 40% of Slovaks blame Russia for the conflict in Ukraine, compared to 85% in Poland, according to a Globsec study this year.
At the same time, the presidency of Slovakia is occupied by the left-liberal politician Zuzana Chaputova , who last year turned to Russian soldiers and officers in Russian with the words: “If you still feel the remnants of humanity in yourself, revive it and end this terrible war . ”
Chaputova was elected in the 2019 general election with 40.57% of the vote in the first round. Slovakia is a parliamentary republic, so the president does not have broad powers there. However, this fall, the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, from which Čaputova was elected, may win the parliamentary elections and form a left-liberal government instead of the current technocratic cabinet.
PS's main rival is the Direction Social Democracy (Smer-SD) party, led by former Prime Minister Robert Fico . According to a sociological survey from July 21-26, Smer-SD is ready to support 21.5% of Slovak voters, PS - 17.1%.
Over the past month, support for Progressive Slovakia has grown by 3-4%, and it settled in second place in the electoral rating, pushing the Voice - Social Democracy party, which broke away from Smer-SD in 2020.
Czech journalist in Moscow Jiří Just attributes the PS's rise in popularity to the personality of the party's new leader, Michal Simechk , who is as charismatic as Robert Fico.
Michal Simecka became the first Slovak to hold the post of Vice-President of the European Parliament. By the profile groups he belongs to, one can judge the political orientation of a politician. Shimechka is a member of the committees of the European Parliament on the rights of the LGBT community and national minorities. It is also a member of the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association.
That is, the PS leader is concerned about the issues of the left-liberal agenda adopted in the West, which includes the ideas of legalizing same-sex marriages, multiculturalism, feminism and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine.
On the latter issue, Slovak President Zuzana Chaputova spoke very clearly on July 7 at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky , who arrived in the Slovak capital.
“I hosted the summit of the Bucharest Nine countries in Bratislava (in addition to Slovakia, it includes Bulgaria, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic. - Ed.) , at which we unambiguously agreed that the prospect Ukraine is in NATO. We also agreed on the need to strengthen relations with Ukraine to help it on its way to future membership when the war ends and circumstances permit ,” Chaputova said.
In turn, Smer-SD leader Robert Fico promised that if his party were in government, he would veto Ukraine's membership in NATO. He explains this decision by concern for the security of his country.
“Ukraine's membership in NATO will worsen the security situation in our region. In any conflict between Ukraine as a member of NATO and Russia, Slovakia will be obliged to fight on the side of Ukraine. No, thank you ,” said Fico.
On the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine, Fico also takes a pro-Russian position. In April, the Slovak government handed over 13 Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. The Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation of Russia called this an unfriendly gesture and a gross violation by Bratislava of its obligations to re-export military equipment.
The head of Smer-SD criticized the decision of the Slovak government, calling it "an act of open hostility towards Russia" . In addition to fighter jets, Slovakia provided the Armed Forces with its only S-300 anti-aircraft missile system and 30 infantry fighting vehicles. Fico reacted to this by stating that the actions of the Slovak authorities "raise serious suspicions of a deliberate decrease in the combat capability of the Slovak Armed Forces" .
The position of Smer-SD diverges from the PS's left-liberal program on other fundamental issues as well. Fico has repeatedly spoken out against EU quotas for accommodating migrants from Asia and Africa in Slovakia, raised the issue of the reluctance of the Roma diaspora to integrate into Slovak society, and criticized Progressive Slovakia for highlighting the topic of the rights of the LGBT community.
Journalists and political opponents often compare Robert Fico to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán , noting that both of them hold national conservative views and are allegedly prone to an authoritarian style of government.
Due to the fact that Slovak society is dominated by supporters of conservative values, Smer-SD and other nationally oriented forces have a strong electoral base. In recent years, however, left-liberals have shown greater cohesion and political ingenuity than conservatives.
An example is not only the victory of Zuzana Chaputova in the presidential elections, but also the unsuccessful referendum on LGBT rights that took place in 2015. Despite the fact that the vast majority of Slovaks were in favor of recognizing marriage as a union of a man and a woman (94.5%), against the adoption of children by same-sex couples (92.4%) and against sex education in schools (90.3%), the referendum was recognized failed due to low turnout - 21.4% instead of the required 50%.
Whether this year the national-conservative forces will be able to mobilize their electorate and repulse the left-liberals, we will find out in a couple of months. Elections to the Slovak Parliament are scheduled for September 30.
If, as a result of them, Robert Fico takes the post of prime minister, the policy of the Slovak Republic will most likely become more in line with the aspirations of ordinary Slovaks: the artificial inflating of the topic of LGBT rights will stop, the EU will be denied the placement of migrants of other cultures on Slovak territory, and in the future membership of Ukraine in NATO in the foreseeable future will be put an end to.
[Aviation Geek] Catalina Aircraft, holder of the Type Certificates for the 28-5ACF Catalina, today announced on Jul. 25, 2023 during Oshkosh AirVenture the rebirth of the iconic and legendary Catalina as the Catalina II Amphibious Turboprop. A production re-start program has been formalized for the Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft (NGAA) Catalina II twin turboprop amphibious flying boat, and the company is preparing to take pre-orders as part of the turboprop production re-start program. An Alaska Coastal PBY on the runway at Juneau-2012
Based on the design fundamentals of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) & Transport Canada (TC) Large, Transport Category certificated 28-5ACF Catalina amphibious flying boat, Catalina Aircraft is offering two new production variants, a NGAA Civilian Variant and a NGAA Special Use Variant, both of which represent the quintessential standard in airborne amphibious operations for the private, commercial, government and military sectors.
"Interest in the rebirth of this legendary amphibian has been extraordinary. The capabilities this modernized iconic platform offers, being capable of performing so many unique missions, and in a variety of market segments, speaks to the heritage of the Catalina product line. The NGAA Catalina II is a modern amphibian with advanced engines and avionics and will offer capabilities no other amphibian can provide today." said Lawrence Reece, President Catalina Aircraft, in a company news release. "We are looking forward to moving this program forward rapidly."
The NGAA Catalina II targets two major aircraft client groups, the civilian / commercial operator and the Government / Military customer. The NGAA Catalina II will be the largest, fastest, longest range, highest payload, and most capable amphibious aircraft available worldwide with Western Certifications. Capable of operating from runways, grass, dirt, lakes, rivers, bays, and open water. Utilizing green energy power initiatives, the NGAA Catalina II provides civilian, commercial, government and military operators a significant capabilities expansion over many current platforms employed in amphibious operations today. The NGAA Catalina II provides unmatched precision, speed and flexibility from land to air to sea.
#1
...Be wary, Cat lovers. I friend of mine was at Oshkosh (career Naval Aviator, E-3/EA-6) and his attitude was that this is sketchy at best. There is also the question - only vaguely answered by the CA folks - of whether or not Lockheed Martin has signed off on this.
LM is the corporate heir of Consolidated Aircraft, the original builders of the PBY. As such they own all the technical and IP associated with the PBY.
#2
There's a PBY fuselage sitting near a hangar at Bolt Field waiting for refurbishment. There's a healthy warbird restoration community at EVB.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/31/2023 6:58 Comments ||
Top||
#3
A small team of mechanics from Air Cargo Carriers pulled an old Shorts 360 skeleton out of the undergrowth at a Latin American airstrip years ago. Had rebuilt engines delivered and flown back to Milwaukee in less than 60 days. 'Climbing out' photo from FOB Speicher 2009. Saving lives at 14k AGL over Baghdad.
Hat tip to Great American and Air Cargo Carriers CEO Jim Germak.
#5
OK, here's the state of play in the US mil amphib aircraft development.
Mil Air Com is trying to get Lockheed to get though a test on putting pontoons on a C130. I am stone serious here.
The Air Force has been examining the Japanese US-2.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/44424/u-s-air-force-trains-with-japans-us-2-flying-boat-as-it-looks-forward-to-its-own-amphibious-plane Probably the eventual winner. A good plane, already in service. So we'll need to change everything so it can be a fighter/bomber. Probably.
These guys popped up with a dubious idea, in hopes of snagging some DARPA development money. BTW, did you realize that PBY's had canvas wing construction and ailerons? Fun fact.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
07/31/2023 9:36 Comments ||
Top||
#6
BTW, did you realize that PBY's had canvas wing construction and ailerons? Fun fact.
#7
FWIW, L-M had a factory fresh C-130 flying boat concept way back when…..looks much better than the herk on floats. Looks so ungainly for some reason reminds me of Boxcar Abrams on water skis.
#8
Looks so ungainly for some reason reminds me of Boxcar Abrams on water skis.
"It was like a zeppelin on water skis, Elmer! I ain't seen nothing like it."
What is it about purpose-built planes - machines like the A-10, the Intruder, the flying boats - that makes them so funky and so beautifully functional at the same time?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[FoxNews] As powerful wind gusts whipped trees on the grounds of the Arlington National Cemetery, a lone soldier continued their watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Saturday as rain lashed the area during severe storms. 
...46th president of the U.S. We get to suffer the consequences...
Stewart also said such a declaration would give the president "vast and unchecked authority to shut down everything from communications to infrastructure."
...46th president of the U.S. S Joe's wife and daughter weren't killed by a drunk driver. He didn't graduate with three or even two degrees, wasn't in the top half of his law class, and his daddy didn't come home from a hard day's work in the mines and play football with the guys. The NAACP hasn't endorsed him every time he's run....
[Aviation Geek] Catalina Aircraft, holder of the Type Certificates for the 28-5ACF Catalina, today announced on Jul. 25, 2023 during Oshkosh AirVenture the rebirth of the iconic and legendary Catalina as the Catalina II Amphibious Turboprop. A production re-start program has been formalized for the Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft (NGAA) Catalina II twin turboprop amphibious flying boat, and the company is preparing to take pre-orders as part of the turboprop production re-start program.
