2010: Happy New Year!

Nostalgia and a new toy are an odd mix for me today.

I finally installed Google Earth and of course had to go play around locating and pinning the places I'd been.

That program is a hoot, It lets you be superman and fly around the globe, looking at actual satellite weather views and imagery. The closer you zoom, the more detail you get, even letting you zoom in to street level in some areas like Los Angeles and showing links to photos of the area if any are available.

So, I've been touring the world today. It's changed since the last time I looked.

After I covered Arizona and Idaho and checked out Kabul & Baghdad, I delved back into some of my own history, 40 years back, in fact.

Vietnam was a shock. What was primitive and abandoned when I was there is bustling now. Civilization exists where it did not before.

If anyone is interested, here are the lat/lon coordinates for a couple of places I've been. You can plug them in and see what they look like today.

The pier we tied up to at our home port at Cam Ranh: 11°51'42.89"N, 109°14'53.25"E

8°45'16.25"N, 105°13'12.51"E is the entrance to the river we spent weeks on.

Sea Float was moored about here: 8°45'16.97"N, 104°59'30.35"E. If you care to zoom in on the river and have all the map features turned on, you will see why we were referred to as the "Brown Water Navy". Too thick to drink, too thin to plow, that water. Note that even the ocean is discolored from the river's discharge.

Okay, so here is a (not so good) screenshot of the river entrance.


If you follow its route, you'll note that there is another mouth on the other end of the river that opens onto the gulf of Siam. This is why the current reversed itself with the tides.

Today has been a real trip. Im agonna stop typing now and go tour some more.
TBC

(Me)

JJ: Moose and Water

I have to admit that Overboard is one of my favorite comics, and this one reminded me of Moose.

One hot summer afternoon I noticed that all the horses were gathered around one end of the corral staring into the old bathtub we used as a watering trough. Since they were standing back from it and not drinking, I thought the tub might have run dry, though I had only filled it a few hours ago. I went trotting over to see what was wrong.

It was Moose, laying in it with just his head sticking out of the water. Snarling.

Moose had a message, like Louie above, but his message was that that tub was a swimming pool till he said otherwise and anyone that disagreed would get bitten. He didn't care for heat, and he would always look for the closest water he could find to cool off in. He'd decided the watering trough was perfect and he was willing to fight to keep it.

He was NOT happy with me when I drug him out so the livestock could drink.
-----
We took him along once when we were scouting for cows up at Star meadows. He trotted along with the horses and was fine in the morning, but as the day heated up he started planning his route from puddle to puddle, creek to creek, and pond to pond.

I guess he managed to stay cool, but he must have overexerted a bit. When we got home he sprawled on the floor and refused to move, and the next day was stiff, sore, and so grouchy he'd snarl at anyone that bumped or disturbed him except Kathy.

MJ got growled at. I got growled at. Kathy got a grudging wag of his tail.

Go figure.

TBC

(Me)

The new TSA Rules

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Transportation Security Administration
Aviation Security Directive
Subject: Security Directive
Number: SD 1544-09-06
Date: December 25, 2009
EXPIRATION: 0200Z on December 30, 2009
This Security Directive (SD) must be implemented immediately. The measures contained in this SD are in addition to all other SDs currently in effect for your operations.
INFORMATION: On December 25, 2009, a terrorist attack was attempted against a flight traveling to the United States. TSA has identified security measures to be implemented by airports, aircraft operators, and foreign air carriers to mitigate potential threats to flights.
APPLICABILITY: THIS SD APPLIES TO AIRCRAFT OPERATORS THAT CARRY OUT A SECURITY PROGRAM REGULATED UNDER 49 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR)1544.101(a).
ACTIONS REQUIRED: If you conduct scheduled and/or public charter flight operations under a Full Program under 49 CFR 1544.101(a) departing from any foreign location to the United States (including its territories and possessions), you must immediately implement all measures in this SD for each such flight.

1. BOARDING GATE

1. The aircraft operator or authorized air carrier representative must ensure all passengers are screened at the boarding gate during the boarding process using the following procedures. These procedures are in addition to the screening of all passengers at the screening checkpoint.
1. Perform thorough pat-down of all passengers at boarding gate prior to boarding, concentrating on upper legs and torso.
2. Physically inspect 100 percent of all passenger accessible property at the boarding gate prior to boarding, with focus on syringes being transported along with powders and/or liquids.
3. Ensure the liquids, aerosols, and gels restrictions are strictly adhered to in accordance with SD 1544-06-02E.
2. During the boarding process, the air carrier may exempt passengers who are Heads of State or Heads of Government from the measures outlined in Section I.A. of this SD, including the following who are traveling with the Head of State or Head of Government:

1. Spouse and children, or
2. One other individual (chosen by the Head of State or Head of Government)
3. For the purposes of Section I.B., the following definitions apply:
1. Head of State: An individual serving as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth, or any other political state (for example, King, Queen, and President).
2. Head of Government: The chief officer of the executive branch of a government presiding over a cabinet (for example, Prime Minister, Premier, President, and Monarch).

2. IN FLIGHT

1. During flight, the aircraft operator must ensure that the following procedures are followed:
1. Passengers must remain in seats beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.
2. Passenger access to carry-on baggage is prohibited beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.
3. Disable aircraft-integrated passenger communications systems and services (phone, internet access services, live television programming, global positioning systems) prior to boarding and during all phases of flight.
4. While over U.S. airspace, flight crew may not make any announcement to passengers concerning flight path or position over cities or landmarks.
5. Passengers may not have any blankets, pillows, or personal belongings on the lap beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.

AIRCRAFT OPERATOR ACKNOWLEDGMENT: The aircraft operator must immediately provide written confirmation to its assigned PSI indicating receipt of this SD.
AIRCRAFT OPERATOR dissemination required: The aircraft operator must immediately pass the information and directives set forth in this SD to all stations affected, and provide written confirmation to its PSI, indicating that all stations affected have acknowledged receipt of the information and directives set forth in this SD. The aircraft operator must disseminate this information to its senior management personnel, ground security coordinators, and supervisory security personnel at all affected locations. All aircraft operator personnel implementing this SD must be briefed by the aircraft operator on its content and the restrictions governing dissemination. No other dissemination may be made without prior approval of the Assistant Secretary for the Transportation Security Administration. Unauthorized dissemination of this document or information contained herein is prohibited by 49 CFR Part 1520 (see 69 Fed. Reg. 28066 (May 18, 2004).
APPROVAL OF ALTERNATIVE MEASURES: With respect to the provisions of this SD, as stated in 49 CFR 1544.305(d), the aircraft operator may submit in writing to its PSI proposed alternative measures and the basis for submitting the alternative measures for approval by the Assistant Administrator for Transportation Sector Network Management. The aircraft operator must immediately notify its PSI whenever any procedure in this SD cannot be carried out by a government authority charged with performing security procedures.
FOR TSA ACTION ONLY: The TSA must issue this SD immediately to the corporate security element of all affected U.S. aircraft operators.
FOR STATE DEPARTMENT: Retransmittal to appropriate foreign posts is authorized. Post must refer to STATE 162917, 201826Z Sep 01, Subject: FAA Security Directives and Information Circulars: Definitions and Handling, for specific guidance and dissemination.

Gale Rossides
Acting Administrator

(Me)

Support the NRA

NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT Vol. 16, No. 50 12/18/09 Appropriations Wrap-Up: Rider Passed Protecting Military Firearms, Ammunition, and Components Click here to vote in this week's poll. With the holiday season upon us, and the end of the year fast approaching, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3326 -- the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2010. With the passage of this bill, NRA-ILA wraps up its appropriations work for the year. Our efforts on the huge spending bill were rewarded with the restoration of a longstanding rider to protect M-1 carbines, M-1 Garands, M-14s, .22 caliber rifles, and others from being destroyed. This language also includes a prohibition on the destruction of small arms ammunition and components, and a response to the short-lived concern over destruction of spent brass casings earlier this year. Amtrak Update: As we reported in last week's Grassroots Alert, on December 10, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an NRA-backed amendment, introduced by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), to allow Amtrak travelers to transport firearms in checked baggage where checked baggage service is available. The Wicker amendment was included along with several government agencies' appropriations bills in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010. Sign-Up For New American Rifleman Insider Newsletter: Get exclusive videos, articles and breaking industry news with the American Rifleman Insider e-newsletter, delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up here to receive the next Insider! Hunting Threatened In Mojave National Preserve: The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), in concert with the Sierra Club and other anti-hunting organizations, has filed a petition with the California Fish and Game Commission to ban most hunting in the Mojave National Preserve, including rabbit and varmint hunting. What hunting remains (resident game birds, deer, and bighorn sheep) would be restricted. The "Petition for Rulemaking Regarding Hunting in the Mojave National Preserve" blames hunters for the declining population of the desert tortoise, a threatened species under the state's Endangered Species Act. CBD filed a similar petition in 2003, but the Commission did not act on it. The Commission will likely consider the CBD's petition next week and could schedule a hearing on it early next year. The NRA Online Advisory Panel: A few weeks ago, we launched a brand new service -- the NRA Online Advisory Panel -- a community of our most active and loyal supporters. Help Defend Your Gun Rights One Click At A Time: We have a revolutionary yet simple tool that will allow you to stay connected to NRA-ILA and raise valuable contributions to defend our Second Amendment rights without spending a dime! It's the NRA-ILA Toolbar, and you can make a difference by downloading and using it. NRA-ILA Grassroots Minute Video STATE ROUNDUP (Please note the only items listed below are those that have had recent action. For other updates on state legislation, please go to the state legislation section at www.NRAILA.org, and check each week's issue of the Grassroots Alert.") CALIFORNIA: Hunting Threatened on Mojave National Preserve The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), in concert with the Sierra Club and other anti-hunting organizations, has filed a petition with the California Fish and Game Commission to ban most hunting in the Mojave National Preserve, including rabbit and varmint hunting. What hunting remains (resident game birds, deer, and bighorn sheep) would be restricted. The "Petition for Rulemaking Regarding Hunting in the Mojave National Preserve" blames hunters for the declining population of the desert tortoise, a threatened species under the state's Endangered Species Act. CBD filed a similar petition in 2003, but the commission did not act on it. The commission will likely consider the CBD's petition next week and could schedule a hearing on it early next year. The petition contains the flimsiest of evidence that hunting in the preserve is the cause or even a contributing factor of the decline in the tortoise population. In fact, statistics confirm that vehicular traffic and increased tourism within the designated critical habitat of the tortoise have increased substantially since 1994 when the preserve was established. Those activities are believed to be the leading causes of tortoise mortality. Further, there is sufficient research to suggest that predation by ravens and coyotes are also taking its toll on this protected species. The objective of the petition is not to protect and enhance the tortoise population. Rather, it is an attempt by this coalition of anti-hunting organizations to permanently end hunting in the Mojave National Preserve. CBD was also behind the ban on the use of lead ammunition for hunting big game within the range of the California condor, and earlier this year, CBD attempted unsuccessfully to extend that ban to all game species. Please take a few minutes to contact the commission and ask that they deny the petition. Please address and mail comments to: John Carlson, Jr., Executive Director California Fish and Game Commission 1416 Ninth Street, Room 1320 Sacramento, CA 95814 fgc@fgc.ca.gov Hunters are continually being harassed with restrictions on hunting and access to hunting areas for reasons not based on science. Please do not let CBD impose their pseudo-science on those who hunt in the Mojave National Preserve! COLORADO: Support Needed to Re-Open Rampart Shooting Range! Following an accidental shooting last July, the Forest Service closed the very popular and heavily used Rampart Shooting Range on the Pike National Forest. In its nearly 20 year history, Rampart had never before experienced a shooting-related injury or fatality. Rampart is the only free public range in El Paso County and receives 40,000 visitors a year. The Service called the closure a "time-out" in order to assess whether the design of the range was a factor. An investigation determined that the range was not a factor in the accident. Safety experts have said that the accident could have happened at any range. But after it closed Rampart, the Forest Service devised a scheme to keep the range closed permanently. The Forest Service has listed requirements that must be met before it will reopen Rampart. There is no timetable for meeting these requirements and likely no money to cover costs. The most significant issue is the requirement of full time supervision. Most ranges on federal lands operate without supervision and this requirement could place all such ranges in jeopardy. Rampart Range is in need of improvements which were identified more than two years ago. Such improvements can be addressed and implemented with the range reopened. The Forest Service has said that it could take up to five years before Rampart is reopened, but there is no guarantee that it would reopen Rampart in that timeframe or at any time in the future. NRA has been working to get Rampart Range reopened since the day it was closed, but we need the help of Colorado hunters and shooters to show the Forest Service and your elected officials that the federal government cannot continue to close public lands to recreational shooting, and certainly not without replacing those areas lost with other areas of the same or great value. Rampart Shooting Range is an important resource for the shooting community along the Front Range. There is no incentive for the Forest Service to reopen Rampart unless the shooting sports community demands it! Shooting ranges on public lands are few and far between in Colorado. In addition to the closure of Rampart, the Forest Service has closed its lands to recreational shooting near Boulder and on the Pawnee Grasslands, and large acreage closures have occurred west of Sedalia. The Forest Service is not planning for recreational shooting. Closures are imposed without opening new areas and needed improvements to existing areas, including the Rampart Shooting Range, have not been made. Recreational shooting is not being treated by the Forest Service in Colorado as a legitimate and valued recreational activity on forest lands. Please send an e-mail in support of the immediate reopening of Rampart to: Tom Tidwell, Chief of the Forest Service, at ttidwell@fs.fed.us, and copy your letter to: Senator Mark Udall at senator_mark_udall@markudall.senate.gov, Senator Michael Bennet at http://bennet.senate.gov/contact/, Congressman Doug Lamborn at CO05ima@mail.house.gov, and Governor Bill Ritter by clicking here. Please stress that keeping the range closed is not supportable by the investigative report; that the closure has robbed the shooting community of a valuable resource; and that needed improvements to the range can be planned and implemented without closure. INDIANA: Indianapolis Star Jumps on the Concealed Carry Permit Database Bandwagon! This week, the Indianapolis Star revealed its own gun database in an attempt to capitalize on the same misguided policy as the Bloomington Herald-Times. The Star's database is modified from a street-based catalogue of the number of permit holders in a defined area, to a demographic listing of Indiana ZIP codes, including the percentage of the population that are permit holders, as well as the their gender, race and age. However, such differences do not hide the paper's intent. The searchable database of law-abiding carry permit holders is included in the "Public Safety" section of the paper's website. The paper seems to believe that it's a matter of "public safety" for people to know how many lawful permit holders live near them. Apparently the Star thinks that law-abiding concealed carry permit holders are to be regarded with caution. It remains NRA's firm belief that media outlets abuse their First Amendment rights when they harass and demonize lawful citizens for exercising their Second Amendment rights. Please contact the paper and express your disapproval of the Star's treatment of law-abiding gun owners. For contact information and more information on this issue, please click here. PENNSYLVANIA: "Lost or Stolen" Ordinance Passed in Borough of West Mifflin On Tuesday, December 15, by a vote of 6-1, the Borough Council of West Mifflin passed an ordinance that will require gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms within a 72-hour period or face fines and possible imprisonment. Councilman Richard Olasz was the sole dissenting vote. This law not only violates Pennsylvania's state preemption laws, but also turns law-abiding gun owners -- who have already been victimized by theft -- into criminals. Please contact the members of the Borough Council of West Mifflin TODAY and respectfully voice your opposition to the passage of this unwarranted, unjust and illegal ordinance. Contact information can be found here. VIRGINIA: King William County Board of Supervisors Discuss Shooting Ordinance During its committee meeting on Monday, December 14, the King William County Board of Supervisors tabled discussion of a proposed ordinance that would ban the discharge of a firearm within 100 yards of a home or business. The Board plans further review of the issue and may possibly draft an ordinance at the January 2010 meeting. It is important that you contact your Board member today and request that they oppose any proposal. Such a proposal is unnecessary and detrimental to the rights of gun owners, sportsmen and land owners. To identify your Supervisor and to find their contact information, please click here. NRA will be closing at noon on Thursday, December 24, and will remain closed on Friday, December 25. Additionally, NRA will be closing at noon on Thursday, December 31, and will remain closed on Friday, January 1. Because of this abbreviated schedule, we will not transmit the Grassroots Alert next week. We will transmit our annual "Year In Review" wrap-up Alert on Wednesday, December 30. We will re-open on Monday, January 4, at 8:30 a.m., EST. Please have a safe and happy Holiday season! NRAILA.org Write Your Representative Write The Media Get Involved Locally Register To Vote Contribute Follow NRA-ILA Please do not reply to this email as you will not receive a response. This email is a broadcast email generated by an automated system. To contact NRA-ILA call 800-392-8683. Address: 11250 Waples Mill Road Fairfax, Virginia 22030 If you wish to be removed from this list please click this link and you will be removed immediately: http://www.ilaalerts.org/UM/U.asp?B1.2.7038.3034904 * Please note: In their efforts to curb SPAM, many ISPs, servers and SPAM filters treat legitimate and legal bulk emails as SPAM. In order to ensure you receive NRA-ILA email alerts in a timely manner, please adjust your SPAM settings to accept bulk emails from the "nraila.org" and "ilaalerts.org" domains. Otherwise, there is a possibility that our email alerts will not make it to your inbox. NRAILA.org | Current Legislation | Get Involved Locally | Register To Vote Contribute | Edit Your Profile

(Me)

Merry Christmas!

And thank you all for giving me a great year.

I pray that this next year will bring peace and prosperity to all who read this.

Jim ( and Zena)

(Me)

Compare

. . . this table (via BoingBoing), with the freedom books made of trees give you:

TBC

(Me)

Holiday Spirit

(Me)