This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: Hondo

  • One Hundred Twelve Years Ago Today . . .

    . . . the Russo-Japanese War began. The first hostilities occurred roughly 3 hours prior to the Russian Empire receiving Japan’s declaration of war, when the Japanese attacked the Russian naval base at Port Arthur. (At the time, an attack prior to a declaration of war was not contrary to international conventions or law.)

    The war confirmed Japan as the ascendant power in eastern Asia, and also showed that they were militarily competitive with European nations in terms of strategy, tactics, training, and equipment. The war also demonstrated many aspects of early 20th Century warfare – trench warfare and massive casualties due to automatic weapons and artillery among them.

    The war was ended by the Treaty of Portsmouth, brokered by US President Theodore Roosevelt. For this, Roosevelt received the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.

    The long-term effects of the war were substantial. The financial strain imposed by rearmament (Russia lost most of two of its three fleets in the war, and afterwards was in naval terms on a par with Austria-Hungary vice the other major naval powers) played havoc with the late Russian Empire’s finances.  This may have contributed indirectly to the abysmal performance of Russia’s armed forces (and government in general) during World War I.

    For Japan, their successes may well have encouraged their later Imperial policies in eastern Asia, thus contributing indirectly to their eventual entry into World War II.  (Japan fought on the allied side in World War I, but appear to have done so as a matter of convenience and to have used this participation as a convenient excuse to appropriate former German Pacific territories.) Further, the tactically indecisive but strategically successful attack on Port Arthur may have been the intellectual inspiration for the later Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

    The Wikipedia article on the Russo-Japanese War isn’t bad. If you’d like a brief but reasonable overview of this long-ago and largely forgotten – but important – war, it’s worth a read.

  • The Latest “Glorious Idea” from ND:tBF

    Wondering what’s new from ND:tBF – AKA Emmentaler-boi, the Dork of NorK, and Fatboy Kim?  Well, it seems some of his henchmen are sending helium filled balloons to his enemies.

    Oh, that’s nothing new.  People in the two Koreas have been doing that for decades now.  The usual procedure is to launch helium-filled balloons with a payload – generally propaganda leaflets, but sometimes religious literature is the payload chosen by some South Korean Christian groups – when winds are favorable for the balloons to drift over the other nation.  Sometimes the more sophisticated balloons have a timer and a small charge to deflate the balloon and/or scatter the payload’s contents.

    But this time, it seems that ND:tBF and his minions have indeed come up with a new twist.  Besides the propaganda leaflets, this time around they included a few other things.

    Like cigarette butts.  And used TP.

    Seriously.

    Here’s another report.  There are more.

    I guess that means Fatboy Kim must have cut back on his cheese consumption. (smile)

  • Well, Fair IS Fair

    I wonder how this is going to play with the “Social Justice Warrior” crowd?

    Generals say women should have to register for draft

    Specifically, the two “generals” in question were the Army Chief of Staff and Commandant of the Marine Corps.

    In contrast, the SECNAV and Acting SECARMY merely stated “that the issue should be discussed.”  Yeah, that’s some really decisive leadership from the Army’s and Navy’s senior civilians, isn’t it?

    No surprise, though.  Military leaders tend to speak plainly, and want to “do”.  Politicians generally like to speak obliquely and prefer to “discuss” at length.

    The linked article has more info.  It’s worth the time to read.

  • Oh . . . Sh!t.

    Like the perhaps-apocryphal “Chinese Water Torture”, more details about the classified information found on that unauthorized, unsecured Clintoon “private email server” keeps steadily drip . . . drip . . . dripping out.  In fact, it’s kinda like the movie Groundhog Day:  it more-or-less keeps repeating itself over and over – with respect to revealing more and more new “good news”, anyway.

    But this latest drip of “good news” concerning the information found – and presumably, now known by the Russians, Chinese, and Iranians – on Clintoon’s server is bad.   Extraordinarily bad.

    How bad? Allegedly, as in “compromised the identities of US spies and foreign sources” bad.

    This article from New York Observer’s website gives more details. If even part of what that article alleges happened is true . . . well, we could literally be talking lives at stake. Or already lost.

    Someone should already be doing time for this.  Serious time.

     

    (Hat tip to TAH reader/commenter “Climb to Glory” for bringing the Observer link above to my attention.)

  • A Quick WWP Update

    It appears that questions regarding Wounded Warrior Project’s spending have begun to have an effect.  Charity Navigator has now apparently placed the WWP on their “watch list”.

    This article from CBS News has more details.  It’s short, but it’s IMO definitely worth reading.  It also includes links to their previous 3 articles regarding their investigation of WWP.

  • A Public Service Safety Reminder

    (With appropriate apologies to the late Harry Edward Nilsson III.)

    Fuel Tank

    Someone got into de plane, de plane was short on gas
    Dey then took off in de plane, ended up in de grass

    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, dey took it right up
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, dey took it right up
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, engine start to sputter
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, call de tower, voice aflutter

    Say “Tower – ain’t there nothin’ I can do?”
    Dey say “Tower – de runway make it to?”
    Dey say “Tower – ain’t there nothin’ I can do?”
    Dey say “Tower – de runway make it to?”

    “Now lemme get this straight
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, you took it right up?
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, you took it right up?
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, you took it right up?
    And when the engine start to sputter, call de tower, woke ’em up?

    And say, ‘Tower, ain’t there nothin’ I can do?’
    You say ‘Tower, de runway make it to?’
    You say ‘Tower, ain’t there nothin’ I can do?’
    You say ‘Tower, de runway make it to?’

    Next time you check out de plane’s fuel tank, before you take it off!
    With enough in de plane’s fuel tank, your landing should be soft.
    With no gas in de plane’s fuel tank, you in a world of hurt.
    With no gas in de plane’s fuel tank you can end up in the dirt.”

    Woo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo
    Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo
    Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo

    Someone got into de plane, dey took off right away
    Not enough in the plane’s fuel tank, took off anyway.

    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, engine start to sputter
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, call de tower,voice aflutter
    And say “Tower, ain’t there nothin’ I can do?’
    And say, “Tower, de runway make it to?”
    And say, “Tower, ain’t there nothin’ I can do?”

    Then say Tower, “Now lemme get this straight –
    Not enough in de plane’s fuel tank, but still you did take off?
    Not enough in de plane’s fuel tank, and now de engine cough?
    Not enough in de plane’s fuel tank, you took it right up
    Without enough in de tank? You such a silly doofus!

    Enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank and it will fly much better.
    Enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, you can land it on a letter.
    Enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, you can safely bring her down.
    Enough gas in your plane’s fuel tank you won’t end up short of town.”

    “Woo, ain’t there nothin’ I can do?”
    Dey say,”Woo, de runway make it to?”
    Dey say, “Well, woo, ain’t there nothin’ I can can do?”
    Dey say, “Woo woo, de runway make it to?”
    Dey say, “Yow, ain’t there nothin’ I can do?”
    Dey say, “Wow, de runway make it to?”
    Dey said “Tower, ain’t there nothing I can do?”
    Dey said, “Tower, de runway make it to?”
    Dey said, “Tower, ain’t there nothing I can do?”
    Dey said, “Tower, I’m in a bad position!”

    Check de gas in de plane’s fuel tank before you take it off
    Have enough in de plane’s fuel tank and de engine should not cough
    Have enough in de plane’s fuel tank it help de plane to land
    With enough in de plane’s fuel tank your landing will be grand

    You can call de airport gas truck
    You call de airport gas truck, dey come and sell you gas
    Call de airport gas truck, dey come and sell you gas
    Call de airport gas truck, dey come and sell you gas
    Call de airport gas truck, dey come and sell you gas
    Call de airport gas truck, dey come and sell you gas

     

    OK, time to be serious.  Errors regarding having sufficient fuel to  complete a flight safely are apparently relatively common.  In 2003, there were apparently 132 such aviation incidents   – 91 from fuel exhaustion, and another 41 from fuel starvation.  (There were a few others due to fuel contamination.)  Many of the incidents led to fatalities or serious injuries.  Here are a few other more recent such incidents.

     

    http://www.postregister.com/articles/featured-news-daily-email/2015/09/10/gov%E2%80%99t-report-plane-crash-caused-lack-fuel

    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-30035659

    http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR1302.pdf

    http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/jet-airways-plane-lands-with-insufficient-fuel-pilots-suspended/

    http://www.newstalk.com/reader/47.301.341/16069/0/

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-31871462

     

    Remeber:  it’s best to always check the gas, oil, and other fluid levels before you travel by privately-owned vehicle.  That’s true if you’re driving, riding – and especially if you’re flying.

    Because if you’re flying, the stakes are WAY higher.  Running out of fuel (or breaking down due to low fluid levels) while driving or riding is generally only a major inconvenience.  However, it’s often deadly when you’re flying – for both the careless pilot and other innocent parties.

    Hey, I don’t generally much care if someone I don’t know is stupid or careless and ends up offing himself/herself.  But I do care that their stupidity might take me – or someone I care about – with them.

  • Yer Latest Clintoon Email Fiasco Update

    The other day I mentioned that we’d likely never see some of Clintoon’s so-called “private” email.  Well, the New York Times reported yesterday that that is indeed the case.

    It appears we’ll never see as many as 40 of them, and possibly even more.

    We won’t see at least 22 because they are “too classified to be made public”, even in redacted form.  Another 18 were emails between Clintoon and her boss, the POTUS – and are being withheld under the “longstanding practice of presidential communications for future release”.  We might or might not ever see those.

    Plus, there are more emails awaiting review.  Who knows how many of them will end up being “too sensitive” to release publicly?

    State also for the first time publicly admitted that information classified Top Secret had indeed been sent to and stored on Clintoon’s private server.  I guess they finally ran out of ways to deny reality – whether the reasons for denial were plausible or not.

    I’m thinking Clintoon should brush up on the US Code, AKA Federal law – starting with 18 USC 793(f), and continuing with 18 USC 4 and 18 USC 371.  Looks to me like at least two of those three sections of Federal law might be of interest to her and her close associates.  Hell, all 3 might be in play.

    And I’m also thinking their lawyers might all have an interest in becoming really familiar with them, too.

  • Another Delayed Return

    DPAA has identified and accounted for the following formerly-missing US soldier.

    From Korea

    • PFC Roy A. Henderson, B Company, 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 27 July 1950 in South Korea. He was accounted for on 14 January 2016.

    You’re no longer missing, elder brother-in-arms. Our apologies that your return took so long.

    Rest in peace. You’re home now.

    . . .

    Over 73,000 US personnel remain unaccounted for from World War II; over 7,800 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; and over 1,600 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia (SEA). Comparison of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from recovered remains against mtDNA from a matrilineal descendant can assist in making a positive ID for unidentified remains that have already been recovered, or which may be recovered in the future.

    DPAA’s web site now has what appears to be a decent “Contact Us” page. The page doesn’t have instructions concerning who can and cannot submit a mtDNA sample or how to submit one, but the POCs listed there may be able to refer you to someone who can answer that question – or may be able to answer the question themselves. If you think you might possibly qualify, please contact one of those POCs for further information.

    If your family lost someone in one of these conflicts and you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample, please arrange to submit one. By doing that you just might help identify the remains of a US service member who’s been repatriated but not yet been identified – as well as a relative of yours, however distant. Or you may help to identify remains to be recovered in the future.

    Everybody deserves a proper burial. That’s especially true for those who gave their all while serving this nation.

     

    Author’s Note:  the linked DPAA webpage indicates PFC Henderson was lost in “North Korea”.  This is incorrect.  US ground forces were being pushed south throughout July 1950, and were all well south of Seoul on 27 July 1950.  PFC Henderson became MIA (and thus was “lost”) in South Korea.  Based on his unit’s known history, he was most likely lost in the general vicinity of Chinju (now Jinju), South Korea.