William T. Johnson

Being a Leader

2010-05-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

While finding the article in the preceding post, I found this article by another child of a soldier that impressed me very much.

The time has come to present the winner of the 2010 Month of the Military Child Blog Submission Award.

And the winner is (drum roll, please)…Ms. Rebecca Sawler of Ft. Drum, NY. Below is Rebecca’s post about what it means to be a leader and how her father, SSG Sawler (currently deployed to Afghanistan) displays those characteristics.

The characteristics that I think an exceptional leader should have are responsibility, respect, and courage. The person that I believe has these characteristics is my Dad.

Responsibility to me means to be accountable for your own actions. It also means that you trustworthy to others. My dad is responsible because he is a squad leader in the army. He is in charge of thirteen to fourteen soldiers that are divided into four groups or teams. Each of these teams have different missions and therefore he has to watch over and make sure that they know where, when, and how to do their job. As a squad leader he also is responsible for helping his soldiers with their problems as far as health, deployment, their safety and more. On top of him leading these soldiers, he also has a family. He takes care of us by providing for us. He helps pay for food, clothing and a home. When he is home he makes an effort to spend his time with us. I see my Dad as the leader of our family and he proves this by taking care of his responsibilities.

To be respectful is to respect other’s ideas and not look down on them. Respect means to listen to other’s ideas, opinions, and decisions. My father has to respect his leaders and commanding officers. He does this by obeying their decisions and any opinions they have that he needs to follow. He also respects the soldiers under him. As their leader, he listens to their ideas and opinions. He also respects their decisions for work and their life even if he doesn’t agree completely with them. I came across this quote that expresses respect perfectly. “You can have a certain arrogance, and I think that’s fine, but what you should never lose is the respect for others.” –Steffi Graf.

I think that the meaning of courage is to face dangers fearlessly for your beliefs. This means to stand up for what you believe and also to put yourself aside for others. I know my dad has courage because he represents his country. He stands proud for his ideas and beliefs because he serves in our military. He sets himself aside for his family and protects us. Not only does he protect us though, he protects the foreign citizens around the world. A leader shows and teaches courage when he can still lead and not let fear get in his way.

“A leader is someone who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”- John C. Maxwell. Like my dad, I use these important traits, responsibility, respect, and courage at school. First of all, I use responsibility when I keep all my papers and homework in order. Homework is also a responsibility of mine because I have to make sure that I complete it correctly. In school I demonstrate respect in every class. I do this by making sure I call each teacher by Mrs., Mr., or Ms. I also do not talk when they are teaching or pass notes during class. The other students in my grade are also people I respect by not bothering them during class, distracting them, or messing their work up. Respecting my fellow students is very important to me, because they can hopefully look up to me as a good example. Ignoring bullies and trying new things despite my fears, is one way I show courage at school. I am very lucky to have my father to look up to and I hope one day I can use these traits to become a good leader.

Congratulations Rebecca!! It is you and all other Army Children that make us Army Strong!!

Posted byashmccallunderArmy Family, Uncategorized, social mediamonth of the military child, social media, U.S Army| Comments (0)

I am an Army Brat

2010-05-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

Just now I realized that I have not published a post since early April. I've been very busy at my new job as secretary of the Washington Kiwanis Club, which is still in process of converting to online. It's been a lot of fun. I've spent all of my life in some form of military - the National Guard, the Army Reserve, active duty, Retired Reserve - so I appreciate the following article.

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I was born in Germany, in 1987, on an Army medical facility, people
still ask me if I’m an American. I have moved more times than most
people can comprehend. I have watched more of my friends drive away,
knowing full well that I will never see them again, than I care to
remember. But I would notthe trade it for anything.

I have lived in Germany, Arizona, North Carolina, Virginia, Rhode
Island, Florida, Indiana, and now, as an adult, I live in Virginia,
and work in Washington D.C., for the Army that I love, that I
trust…that has truly ke pt me agile in an ever changing world.

I was always taught that failure is never an option, quitting is
simply not an acceptable way out.

I feel safer when the city I’m in starts with the word Fort, and my
favorite statue is Iron Mike.

Some kids dressed like Power Rangers for Halloween, I dressed like a
Paratrooper.

Civilians like fighter jets and fast cars… I love C-130s and HMMWVs.

I understand the difference between BDUs, DCUs, and ACUs, and know
what color boots go with each.

I went to 3 high schools in Rhode Island, Florida, and Arizona, most
other kids would have been battered, bruised, and broken, I pushed myself
to excel.

I have watched my dad leave to fight the enemy whenever he is needed,
and it has taught me that there are leaders, and there are followers:
soldiers follow orders, so that everyone else can lead normal lives.

I am an Army brat.
I am the son of a Warrior, and my family is a team.
My father serves the people of the United States and we live the Army Values.

I am happy to sacrifice, Mission First!
I was taught to never accept defeat.
I will never quit, it is not in my blood.
I will be there whenever my family needs me.

I am disciplined, taught to adapt and overcome; proficient in
communication and perseverance.
I always understand who I am, and equip myself with skills to overcome.
I am an expert; I will not stand for less.
I stand ready to assist, defend, and protect all that my family unit stands for.
I am the son of a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an Army Brat.

Submitted by Alexander T. Miller

Posted byashmccallinArmy Family, Uncategorized, social mediamonth of the military child, social media, U.S Army

Comments (3)Trackbacks (0)Leave a commentTrackback

Dawn Miller
| #1
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I am the mom of this Army brat, who has learned so much from our nomadic lifestyle. I am proud of him and our family and our values. This life is anything but easy. It is so difficult to say good-bye to friends every year or two. But all the factors that make up our life have made us stronger and better people. In the end, that is what life is all about.
Alex Miller
| #2
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Thank you, everyone, for the support.
Alex Miller Create Your Badge
Stacy Bathrick
| #3
Reply | Quote
This is awesome! I want to frame this and put it in my children’s bedroom! Thank you for so articulately telling the story for other Army Brats!

Geeks and Guns

2010-04-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

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When you think about the U.S. Military, you probably think about steely eyed men and women wearing camo and carrying around a rifle. Right?

Well, what about steely eyed academics walking around with finely sharpened pencils and an heart for counterinsurgency doctrine?

Today’s military is much more than a grunt on the ground. Soldiers rising to the tops of the ranks have savvy minds and a heart for academia. Enter in National Defense University (NDU) based in Washington, D.C. NDU’s mission is to advance joint professional military education and national security policy – a pretty important charter and one with a direct impact on today’s warfighter.

This week I visited NDU to speak on social media and hear what they’re up to in the social media space. Like most government organizations looking to reach out and communicate better with both the American public and their internal audiences, NDU is pursuing the use of social media platforms to help tell their story. From a blog, to Twitter and Facebook, they’re looking to reach out and tell you more about what they do to support today’s warfighter.

If you’re interested in learning more about some of the academics helping to educate our leaders or read some of the work they’re doing, I encourage you to check them out, and drop a comment on their blog. For today’s Army, it takes more than a hot meal and a weapon – it takes teams of researchers committed to providing Soldiers with the skills and knowledge to fight smart.

So, geeks with guns? Absolutely!

Posted bylindykyzerinArmy NewsNational Defense University

Resin identification code

2010-03-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Plastic recycling. (Discuss)

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

Sorted household plastic waiting to be hauled away for reprocessing.

Polypropylene lid of a Tic Tac box, with a living hinge and the resin identification code under its flap

The SPI resin identification coding system is a set of symbols placed on plastics to identify the polymer type. It was developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) in 1988, and used internationally. The primary purpose of the codes is to allow efficient separation of different polymer types for recycling.
The symbols used in the code consist of arrows that cycle clockwise to form a rounded triangle and enclosing a number, often with an acronym representing the plastic below the triangle. When the number is omitted, the symbol is known as the universal Recycling Symbol, indicating generic recyclable materials. In this case, other text and labels are used to indicate the material(s) used. Previously recycled resins are coded with an "R" prefix (for example, a PETE bottle made of recycled resin could be marked as RPETE using same numbering).
Contrary to misconceptions, the number does not indicate how hard the item is to recycle, nor how often the plastic was recycled. It is an arbitrary number and has no other meaning aside from identifying the specific plastic.
The Unicode character encoding standard includes the resin identification codes, between code points U+2673 and U+2679 inclusive. The generic material recycling symbol is encoded as code point U+267A.

[hide]

[edit] Table of resin codes

Recycling number	Unicode	Symbol	Abbreviation	Polymer name	Uses
1	U+2673	♳	PETE or PET	Polyethylene terephthalate	Polyester fibres, thermoformed sheet, strapping, and soft drink bottles (See also: Recycling of PET bottles)
2	U+2674	♴	HDPE	High density polyethylene	Bottles, grocery bags, milk jugs, recycling bins, agricultural pipe, base cups, car stops, playground equipment, and plastic lumber
3	U+2675	♵	PVC or V	Polyvinyl chloride	Pipe, fencing, and non-food bottles
4	U+2676	♶	LDPE	Low density polyethylene	Plastic bags, 6 pack rings, various containers, dispensing bottles, wash bottles, tubing, and various molded laboratory equipment
5	U+2677	♷	PP	Polypropylene	Auto parts, industrial fibers, food containers, and dishware
6	U+2678	♸	PS	Polystyrene	Desk accessories, cafeteria trays, plastic utensils, toys, video cassettes and cases, and insulation board and other expanded polystyrene products (e.g., Styrofoam)
7	U+2679	♹	OTHER or O	Other plastics, including acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, fiberglass, nylon, polycarbonate, and polylactic acid	Bottles, plastic lumber applications

[edit] Availability of recycling facilities

Use of the recycling symbol in the coding of plastics has led to on going consumer confusion about which plastics are readily recyclable. In most communities throughout the United States, PETE and HDPE are the only plastics collected in municipal recycling programs. Some regions, though, are expanding the range of plastics collected as markets become available. (Los Angeles, for example, recycles all clean plastics numbered 1 through 7.^[1])

[edit] Possible new codes

In 2007, a State Senate bill in California (SB 898) proposed adding a "0" code for compostable polylactic acid.^[2] However, this provision of the bill was removed before passage.^[3]^[4]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ http://www.lacity.org/san/solid_resources/recycling/what_is_recyclable.htm "What is Recyclable" from the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation website.
^ http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_898&sess=CUR&house=B&author=simitian Full text and version history of California State Senate Bill 898
^ http://www.cawrecycles.org/issues/current_legislation/sb898_07 Bill summary from Californians Against Waste, an environmental group
^ SB 898 Senate Bill - AMENDED

[edit] External links

When in Doubt, Go Up

2010-03-21T05:07:00.000-07:00

LTC Marc Hoffmeister: Photo Courtesy of the Veterans Coalition

Imagine climbing Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America. Now imagine doing it while recovering from wounds sustained from a roadside bomb in Iraq.

This is exactly what Army Lt. Col. Marc Hoffmeister did and by overcoming his injuries and encouraging others to do the same, he was awarded National Geographic’s Reader’s Choice Adventurer of the Year Award.

Hoffmeister organized “Operation Denali” and trained with a mountaineering team, which was comprised of three other Soldiers who were injured in Iraq: Army Spc. David Shebib, Marine Capt. Jon Kuniholm and retired Army Sgt. 1^stClass Matthew Nyman.

Left to Right: David Shebib, Bob Haines and Marc Hoffmeister stop to take a picture after reaching the summit of Mt. McKinley (also known as Denali). Photo Courtesy of the Veterans Coalition

Hoffmeister was injured during his second deployment to Iraq in 2007. The Humvee he was riding in was hit by an improvised explosive device and Hoffmeister lost significant use of his left arm. After receiving medical care at Madigan Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis, Wash., Hoffmeister returned home to Fort Richardson, Alaska. Beginning a long, painful recovery process, Hoffmeister said he relied on tough love from his wife.

Hoffmeister said a spouse’s role in recovery is essential and provides a “degree of intimacy and care.” Hoffmeister said a spouse can often push a wounded Soldier beyond what he or she thinks is possible and he credits his wife with motivating him to continue recovery.

The idea of Operation Denali started when Hoffmeister’s wife, Gayle told him she was going to climb Denali. She “laid down the gauntlet,” forcing him to realize it was time to face his fears and resume his life.

Hoffmeister realized others would feel the same challenges, overcoming injuries and trying to resume “normal” life. He got in touch with Mark Hamm from the Army Wounded Warrior Program at Walter Reed Army Hospital and Hamm assisted him in pushing out invitations.

While sifting through the applicants, Hoffmeister acknowledged he wanted Soldiers who had minimal climbing experience. He felt this way the climb would serve as a true life-changing experience for the participants. The team spent a year on developing skills and conditioning for the climb.

Hoffmeister said the mountaineering team and their goals directly paralleled skills learned in the Army, such as training and battle drills.

“It’s all about practicing how you react to situations,” said Hoffmeister.

Perhaps the biggest similarity was the required team work.

“The greatest value of a team is being able to recognize when one is down and you have to motivate them.”

As one could imagine Hoffmeister acknowledged there were periods of hardships and challenges throughout the journey, but the team kept in mind that those times were fleeting.

“You just have to remember that in 10 minutes, an hour or tomorrow, that pack would be lighter, that blister would be better,” said Hoffmeister. “It’s all about perspective.”

Hoffmeister said his bucket list is long and it includes plans for organizing a future climb in Argentina with Wounded Warriors. As for the National Geographic award, he said it’s important for other Wounded Warriors; as it serves as an example of what can happen with persistence and overcoming obstacles.

“You never know what life will deal you,” said Hoffmeister. “Everything is achieved through small steps.”

Hoffmeister said he encourages Wounded Warriors to confront their challenges, or what he referred to as their “personal summit.”

“When in doubt, go up.”

Written by Jessica Maxwell, Public Affairs Specialist, Online and Social Media

Posted byashmccallunderArmy News, Current Events, Soldier StoriesArmy Wounded Warrior, LTC Marc Hoffmeister, Operation Denali, U.S Army| Comments (0)

New parachute integrated at Airborne School Mar 11, 2010

2010-03-13T04:31:00.000-08:00

By Tiffany Nabors, The Bayonet

Story Highlights

This is the first cycle of Airborne students to be trained on the T-10 and T-11 parachute systems

The T-10 system that has been used since the 1950s

Many Airborne units will be fielded with the new T-11 by the end of the year

Photo credit Tiffany Nabors, The Bayonet

Maj. Douglas Hoover, the Maneuver Center of Excellence Family Life chaplain, exits the 34-foot training tower for the first time during ground week in Airborne School on Fort Benning, Ga.

The 453 students in C Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, exited the 34-foot training tower twice as many times as the normal requirement March 3.

The change is one of several resulting from the new T-11 parachute system integration at the U.S. Army Airborne School. The new parachute replaces the T-10 system that has been in use since the 1950s and will be phased out over the next 15 years, said 1st Sgt. Christopher Goodrow, C Co., 1st Bn., 507th PIR.

Goodrow said students are getting trained on both systems. They will jump six times with the T-10 and T-11 parachutes and receive eight passing evaluations instead of four.

The T-11 design should decrease injuries and has an increased weight tolerance for heavier combat loads and a decreased descent pace for softer landings, Goodrow said.

The square shape of the T-11 is easily identified compared to the T-10's circular shape, and it features a slider component that separates lines and reduces the possibility of inversion.

"It eliminates many of the malfunction possibilities we had with the T-10," Goodrow said. "This has been needed for a long time. For the Airborne community, I think this is a leap into the 21st century."

Few units have been conducting jumps with the T-11, but many Airborne units will see the new parachutes fielded by the end of the year, making this the right time to phase it into the school, said Capt. Dean Gibson, C Company commander.

"It's important to train students on the T-11 parachute system before they arrive at their units," he said. "So once they get there, their focus is on becoming combat-ready."

During week one, also known as ground week, Soldiers learn to put on a parachute, exit a mock door and perform parachute landing fall and recovery methods.

Adaptations have been required for instructors, known as Black Hats.

"We've been training for about six months," said Staff Sgt. James Patterson, a Black Hat for two years. "We had to relearn our classes and relearn our demonstrations before we could pitch the class to our students."

Maj. Douglas Hoover, the Maneuver Center of Excellence Family Life c haplain, who is currently in the school, said he admired the dedication of the staff.

"I feel more for the cadre because they have to get the same amount of material in on both systems," he said, adding he was excited about being in the first class of trainees.

Sgt. Michael Holbein, who is in the Air Defense Artillery branch, said he was a little nervous about exiting a plane, but its something he's wanted to do for a long time. "(The training) is repetitious, but it's beneficial," Holbein said. "It becomes muscle memory so that when I do jump, I'll know how to do the right thing."

Staff Sgt. Benjamin Thurman, who has been a Black Hat for 18 months and has completed 15 cycles, said the 34-foot tower used during ground week exposes students to the shock of free falling and the catch of the parachute and gives them a point of reference.

"This is a good time and a good place to conquer your height fears," Thurman said. "If you can jump from 34 feet, you can definitely jump from 1,250 feet."

During week two or tower week, the students will descend from the 250-foot tower.

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NewsNote: “In God We Trust” and “Under God” = “No Theological Impact?”

2010-03-13T04:05:00.000-08:00

[This post is from Albert Mohler's blog.]

Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010 at 12:46 pm ET

The famous words "In God We Trust" and "under God" are safe . . . for now. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled yesterday that those phrases from the national currency and the Pledge of Allegiance do not represent a governmental establishment of religion.
The court, one of the most liberal among the Federal courts, ruled against Michael Newdow, a Sacramento atheist known for previous suits against the phrase "under God" in the pledge.
Here is how the Los Angeles Timessummarized the decision:
Joined by other Sacramento-area parents opposed to the pledge, Newdow, a physician with a law degree, brought an identical challenge against the Rio Linda Union School District practice of leading daily pledges and secured a ruling in his favor from U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton. The judge cited the 9th Circuit's holding that Congress rendered the pledge unconstitutional when it added the words "under God" in 1954, in a Cold War-era gesture against the godless communism of the Soviet Union.
Thursday's ruling brings the 9th Circuit in line with other federal appeals courts in upholding a school's right to conduct the patriotic ritual. That unity among the circuit courts makes it unlikely that the Supreme Court will again review the decision, both Newdow and those in favor of preserving the "under God" reference said.
This decision is good news, and comes as something of a relief -- especially considering the fact that the Ninth Circuit is involved. There is no substance to the claim that these two phrases violate the Constitution. Furthermore, they represent only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to such questions. This kind of language pervades official discourse - extending even to the phrase "the year of our Lord" in the dating of many government documents.
But, what does it mean? Christians should pay close attention to the logic employed by the court in these two decisions. Consider this section of the court's opinion in which it cites its own precedent in the case Aronow v. United States:
It is not easy to discern any religious significance attendant the payment of a bill with coin or currency on which has been imprinted ‘In God We Trust’ or the study of a government publication or document bearing that slogan. . . . While ‘ceremonial’ and ‘patriotic’ may not be particularly apt words to describe the category of the national motto, it is excluded from First Amendment significance because the motto has no theological or ritualistic impact. As stated by the Congressional report, it has ‘spiritual and psychological value’ and ‘inspirational quality.’
In other words, the phrase "In God We Trust" as our national motto is theologically and religiously meaningless, having "no theological or ritualistic impact," but only a "spiritual and psychological value."
In the decision on the Pledge of Allegiance the court used similar logic and language:
We hold that the Pledge of Allegiance does not violate the Establishment Clause because Congress’ ostensible and predominant purpose was to inspire patriotism and that the context of the Pledge—its wording as a whole, the preamble to the statute, and this nation’s history—demonstrate that it is a predominantly patriotic exercise. For these reasons, the phrase “one Nation under God” does not turn this patriotic exercise into a religious activity.
The court is arguing that the phrases in question are not really theological statements at all, presumably because if the court found theological significance in the phrases it would have been led to rule otherwise.
This legal logic is recognizable, but so is the theological dimension of all this. The court has ruled, in effect, that the language of these contested phrases represents what is rightly called "civil religion." In essence, civil religion is the mass religion that serves the purposes of the state and the culture as a unifying force -- a rather bland and diffused religiosity -- an innocuous theology with little specificity.
Christians must never confuse civil religion with the real thing. When our fellow citizens recite the pledge, it is not to be taken as a statement of personal faith in God. In that sense, Christians are rightly concerned that we make clear what authentic faith in God requires and means. Confusing civil religion with Christianity is deadly dangerous.
On the other hand, Christians are well aware of the constant danger of idolatry, and no entity rivals a powerful government in terms of the idolatrous temptation. In that sense, it is healthy and good that we employ language that relativizes the power and authority of the state. It is both important and healthy that our motto places trust in God, and not in the state. And the knowledge that the nation exists "under God" is no small matter.
So, we should welcome the decision of the Ninth Circuit panel but not read too much into the decision or the language at stake. Another legal challenge is always right around the corner. The task of defining true faith in God falls to us right now.
__________________________________
I am always glad to hear from readers. Write me at mail@albertmohler.com. Follow regular updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AlbertMohler.
Carol J. Williams, "Pledge of Allegiance's God References Now Upheld by Court," theLos Angeles Times, Friday, March 12, 2010.
The opinions in the cases are available in PDF form from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

DoD DTM on Social Media

2010-03-11T11:57:00.000-08:00

Home >> Army News, social media >> DoD DTM on Social Media

March 11th, 2010

February 26 the Department of Defense released Directive-Type memorandum (DTM) 09-026, DoD policy on social media and Internet based capabilities. In the works for months, the policy opened up access to social media on the military’s non-classified network (NIPRNET) and offered broad guidance concerning social media use.

For those in Army public affairs or anyone in the military actively using the Internet to communicate with friends and family, the policy was a welcome sign that social media is here to stay and DoD isn’t just recognizing its importance, it’s embracing it as both a communications platform and a critical piece in keeping our Soldiers and families connected.

I have a clear bias toward social media but it’s my opinion that in a time when our Soldiers are spending 12-15 months away from their families we have an obligation to ensure they have every means of communication possible – including social media. While operations security and network security trump communication, we have to mitigate risks to allow our Soldiers to express the freedom of communication they’re fighting to defend.

The clearest benefit of the DoD DTM is allowing our Soldiers and families to communicate with one another, but there are also three interesting points I want to bring to your attention:

1. The DoD DTM opens up access across the NIPRNET. We’ve already stated it, but that means across the board access needs to be set at “open.” Whether you’re in Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti or Hawaii, you should be able to access social media from your government computer.

2. Restrictions on accessing social media sites can be placed but should only be done “temporarily” and restrictions must be commensurate with the risks. That means commanders still have the authority to shut down social media access but they must have a clear justification, and if they consider a long-term restriction the risk needs to justify it.

3. Public Affairs Officers (PAOs) should be aware of official social media presences but don’t have ultimate responsibility for every one. That means that spouse’s clubs, Family Readiness Groups, and other organizations that want to engage social media may do so. They should coordinate with their PAO but that PAO doesn’t need to administer every account.

The DTM creates a great opportunity for us but it also opens up a lot of questions. Over the next several weeks and months you’ll see additional guidance from the Department of Defense, Army Chief Information Office/G-6 and Army Public Affairs. We’ll keep you informed on those updates here at Army Live, and look forward to your questions, comments and feedback in our comments section.

Has social media access opened up at your post, camp or duty station, or is it still restricted? Let us know.

Lindy Kyzer, Army Public Affairs

Posted bylindykyzerinArmy News, social mediaDepartment of Defense, DTM 09-026, social media, Social Media Policy

The Scandal of Gendercide — War on Baby Girls

2010-03-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

Posted: Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 5:44 am ET

[This post is from Albert Mohler's blog.]

The reality has been known for years now, though the Western media have generally resisted any direct coverage of the horror. That changed this week whenThe Economist published its stunning cover story -- "Gendercide -- What Happened to 100 Million Baby Girls?"
In many nations of the world, there is an all-out war on baby girls. In 1990, economist Amartya Sen estimated that 100 million baby girls were missing -- sacrificed by parents who desired a son. Two decades later, multiple millions of missing baby girls must be added to that total, victims of abortion, infanticide, or fatal neglect.
The murder of girls is especially common in China and northern India, where a preference for sons produces a situation that is nothing less than critical for baby girls. In these regions, there are 120 baby boys born for every 100 baby girls. As The Economist explains, "Nature dictates that slightly more males are born than females to offset boys' greater susceptibility to infant disease. But nothing on this scale."
In its lead editorial, the magazine gets right to the essential point: "It is no exaggeration to call this gendercide. Women are missing in their millions--aborted, killed, neglected to death."
In its detailed and extensive investigative report, the magazine opens its article with chilling force. A baby girl is born in China's Shandong province. Chinese writer Xinran Xue, present for the birth, then hears a man's voice respond to the sight of the newborn baby girl. "Useless thing," he cried in disappointment. The witness then heard a plop in the slops pail. "To my absolute horror, I saw a tiny foot poking out of the pail. The midwife must have dropped that tiny baby alive into the slops pail!" When she tried to intervene she was restrained by police. An older woman simply explained to her, "Doing a baby girl is not a big thing around here."
The number of dead and missing baby girls is astounding. In some Chinese provinces, there are more than 130 baby boys for every 100 baby girls. The culture places a premium value on sons, and girls are considered an economic drain. A Hindu saying conveys this prejudice: "Raising a daughter is like watering your neighbor's garden."
Midwives even charge more for the birth of a baby boy. But the preference for a boy rises with both economic power and the number of children born to a couple. The imbalance of boys to girls is no accident -- it reflects a prejudice that runs throughout the societies where the abortion and killing of baby girls is considered both understandable and routine.
Add to this the widespread availability of ultrasound imaging services. Even though the governments of China and India have officially declared sex-selection abortions to be illegal, they persist by the millions. (And, interestingly, the magazine notes that Sweden actually legalized sex-selection abortions in 2009.)
This sentence from the investigative report is particularly horrifying: "In one hospital in Punjab, in northern India, the only girls born after a round of ultrasound scans had been mistakenly identified as boys, or else had a male twin."
In other words, even as the spread of ultrasound technology has greatly aided the pro-life movement by making the humanity of the unborn baby visible and undeniable, among those determined to give birth only to baby boys, in millions of cases the same technology has meant a death warrant for a baby girl in the womb.
There are multiple factors that lead to the preference for boys over girls. In China, the government's draconian "one child only" policy has led to both forced abortions and an effective death sentence for baby girls when a couple is determined that, if their children are to be so drastically limited, they will insist on having a son. As the magazine explains, "For millions of couples, the answer is: abort the daughter, try for a son."
Consider this:
In fact the destruction of baby girls is a product of three forces: the ancient preference for sons; a modern desire for smaller families; and ultrasound scanning and other technologies that identify the sex of a fetus. In societies where four or six children were common, a boy would almost certainly come along eventually; son preference did not need to exist at the expense of daughters. But now couples want two children—or, as in China, are allowed only one—they will sacrifice unborn daughters to their pursuit of a son. That is why sex ratios are most distorted in the modern, open parts of China and India. It is also why ratios are more skewed after the first child: parents may accept a daughter first time round but will do anything to ensure their next—and probably last—child is a boy. The boy-girl ratio is above 200 for a third child in some places.
The social consequences of this imbalance are vast and uncorrectable. China and India now face the reality of millions of young men and boys who have absolutely no hope of a wife and family. In China, these young men are called guanggun or "broken branches." Just consider this -- the 30 to 40 million "broken branches" in China are about equal in number to the total number of all boys and young men in the United States.
These young men represent a looming disaster on the societal level. Young males commit the greatest number of criminal acts and acts of violence. Marriage has been the great taming institution for the social development of young males. Without prospect for marriage and a normal sex and family life, these multiple millions of unmarried young men are becoming a significant social challenge in China and India. Some observers even argue that this may lead to an increased militarism in the region.
Of course, the greatest disaster is personal for the young men and boys who face the future as "broken branches." The parents who insist on having boys are dooming their own sons to lives of brokenness, frustration, and grief.
And the future looks even more ominous for baby girls. Nick Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute points to "the fatal collision between overweening son preference, the use of rapidly spreading prenatal sex-determination technology and declining fertility." As the magazine adds, "Over the next generation, many of the problems associated with sex selection will get worse. The social consequences will become more evident because the boys born in large numbers over the past decade will reach maturity then. Meanwhile, the practice of sex selection itself may spread because fertility rates are continuing to fall and ultrasound scanners reach throughout the developing world."
While imbalances such as now found in China and India are unknown in the West, the practice of sex-selection abortion is found here as well. Indeed, there is no current law against the practice in the United States, where abortion is legal for any reason, at least in earlier stages of pregnancy. In reality, sex selection abortions happen here, too. After all, proponents of abortion in the United States infamously insist on a woman's unrestricted right to an abortion "for any reason, or for no reason."
The Economist is right to call this tragedy gendercide -- the targeting of baby girls for death and destruction simply because of their gender. The magazine deserves appreciation for its no-holds-barred report on this tragedy, and for forcing the issue to be faced. Furthermore, The Economist ends its editorial with the right message, "The world needs to do more to prevent a gendercide that will have the sky crashing down."
Will reports like this awaken the conscience of the world to the unspeakable crime and global tragedy of gendercide? If not, what will it take? The blood of millions of murdered and missing baby girls cries out to the world's conscience. Will we hear?
________________________________________
I am always glad to hear from readers. Write me at mail@albertmohler.com. Follow regular updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AlbertMohler.
"Gendercide -- The Worldwide War on Baby Girls," The Economist, March 6, 2010. The extensive investigative report is available in the magazine's print editions but is available online only to subscribers.

The mystery of Hitler's 'spyclists'

2010-03-08T04:09:00.000-08:00

By Sanchia Berg
Today programme

Summer 1937. What could be more fitting in the cool afternoon of an English country lane than a group of cycling tourists steadily pedalling their way from one historic site to another, stopping to camp overnight in fields along the way.

The only problem was, that summer, some of those groups of teenage boys were Hitler Youth.
In an era without satellite photography, when detailed ordnance survey maps could be hard to come by and when tension in Europe was rising, MI5 were worried that this innocent cyclo-tourism was a cover for spying.
MI5 had been told that Hitler Youth groups visiting abroad were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire, including questions on terrain, population, and political views of the population.

Hitler regarded his youth movement as the kernel of an Aryan 'master race'

They were asked to take photographs, especially of industry, and to get lists of names of all those taking part in anti-German movements.
In May 1937, the British "Daily Herald" paper had printed an article about "spyclists" - based on translation of the Nazi Cycling Association's advice to members travelling abroad.
It too asked travellers to try to note carefully the features of the countryside they visited:
"Get into your head all landmarks like steeples and towers and all fords and bridges and acquaint yourself with them in such a way that you will be able to recognise them by night"
And one of the senior figures in the Hitler Youth had moved to London at the start of the year, ostensibly to study. MI5 suspected that Joachim Benemann's real object however was to develop the Hitler Youth in the UK.

Local papers speculated on the real reason for the visits

On an earlier visit, undertaken in 1934 and 5, he had set up joint Anglo-German youth camps, one at Bryanston School, and he had tried to develop links between the Hitler Youth and the Boy Scouts, without much success.
So the head of MI5, Colonel Sir Vernon Kell, decided to try to track visiting Hitler Youth cycling groups. Chief Constables were asked to monitor them, to try to find out what their planned routes were, without questioning the leaders.
From the file, it appears they identified seven substantial groups, each of about twenty young men. These were generally the older members of the Hitler Youth: in their late teens or early twenties.
Their itineraries were usually built round visits to the great English historic sites - Oxford, Cambridge, London. Though one party was touring Scotland and another finished in Wales.
MI5 did not shadow the cyclists closely, so it is not recorded exactly where they stayed and who they met. There was some reporting in local papers though: the Boston and Spalding Free Press reported that the Spalding Rotary Club laid on a special dinner for one group, who thoroughly enjoyed their sausages and mash, and charmed the local people with their good manners.
'Hitler salute'
The Hitler Youth who travelled to Britain had been specially selected - a number had even had been to training camps before the visit.
Some of them met or shared camps with British Boy Scout groups. The most striking was the Tamworth Scout troop - for whom this was a return visit. They had already been guests of the Hitler Youth in Hamburg earlier in the summer, thanks to their very pro-German Scoutmaster.

It was like a Roman legion

Les Fardon, former Boy Scout

They had stayed at a Hitler Youth camp and even taken part in a torchlight rally. One of the boys, Les Fardon, told Radio 4's Document Programme ten years ago: "It was like a Roman legion," he said. "You had these long banners and you were marching to tune... it was very stirring and frightening"
Another of his fellow Scouts remembered it as being a very exciting trip, and he recalled how even the British boys fell into doing the "Heil Hitler" salute. "They liked you to do it," he added. Both boys made friends with some of the Germans.
When the Hitler Youth came to visit them, it proved controversial, and prompted intense debate in the pages of the local paper, the Birmingham Post. The head of MI5 asked to see the letters. The most pro-German was R. Charles Lines who wrote about the farewell supper for the Hitler Youth:
"Many remarks passed to me by Tamworth residents showed very plainly what a wonderful impression these boys have made during their stay. There is no doubt that Tamworth has thoroughly enjoyed entertaining them and I know how splendidly local people have risen to the occasion"
Which prompted a tart response from another correspondent, "WFA", who wrote: "Is it not easily understandable that when one has first hand information of the persecution and cruelty meted out by youthful Nazis at home, one is suspicious of their perfect behaviour abroad. One is bound to ask oneself "is it a confidence trick?"
The charm offensive was being carried out at a far higher level too. In November 1937 Lord Baden Powell met the Chief of Staff of the Hitler Youth at the German Embassy. The elderly Chief Scout had long been an admirer of the Hitler Youth, and was keen to develop closer links.
Baden Powell was asked if he would visit Hitler personally, and did not demur, telling the Germans that he was "fully in favour of anything which would bring about a better understanding between our nations"
The British government stepped in to stop that though. A note on the file shows that Lord Cranbourne, Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, called Lord Baden Powell's chosen successor, Lord Somers, around a fortnight later. He "strongly deprecated" close relations, runs the note.

“Chief Cam”-From Deployment to School

2010-03-07T14:54:00.000-08:00

Aside from his many day-to-day duties as Chief of Staff of the Army, General George W. Casey enjoys talking with Soldiers as he travels around the world. Check out his most recent ”Chief Cam” as he talks to a Soldier who has recently transitioned from deployment in Iraq back to Hawaii, and who is planning her next steps in education.

Want to see more “Chief Cams?” Visit http://www.youtube.com/soldiersmediacenter.

Posted byashmccallunderArmy News, SRTV, Soldier StoriesChief Cams, Chief of Staff of the Army, General George Casey, U.S Army| Comments (0)

March 3rd, 2010

Deploying Soldiers Get a New Look

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MultiCam in Afghanistan. Photo by: PEOSoldier

Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan will be getting a gear make-over beginning in July of this year. They will be issued the new “MultiCam” fire-resistant Army Combat Uniform with new Mountain Combat Boots and MultiCam-patterned Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment.

The decision to field and develop an alternative camouflage for uniforms in Afghanistan came out of the realization that the Army’s current Universal Camouflage Pattern, or UCP, did not meet all of the concealment needs for Afghanistan’s multiple regions.

“Afghanistan is a unique camouflage challenge because it’s such a terrain-diverse country,” explained Col. William E. Cole, project manager for Soldier protection and individual equipment at the Program Executive Office, or PEO, Soldier on Fort Belvoir. He also confirmed that the uniforms and gear in MultiCam will for now only be used in Afghanistan.

Similar to the Battle Dress Uniform woodland print, the new MultiCam is a combination of seven different shades which “takes in surrounding colors.”

This change came after months of developing and testing new camoflauge options were initated. About 750 Soldiers who had recently deployed to Afghanistan were asked to judge the uniforms in the photos based on their detectability, blend-ability, and rank them from best to worst.

MultiCam in Afghanistan. Photo by: PEOSoldier

The MultiCam, while cut in the same style as the ACU, will have several upgrades including a reinforced seat, buttons on the trouser cargo pockets, be constructed of flame-resistant fabric (like the newer ACUs), and treated with permethrin. New Mountain Combat Boots will also be issued to deploying Soldiers, which feature a tougher, more durable sole for gripping the mountainous Afghan terrain.

What do you think about the “new look?” Leave us your thoughts.

Posted byashmccallunderArmy News, Current EventsMultiCam uniforms, new uniforms, U.S Army| Comments (4)

March 2nd, 2010

Is the Reformation Over?

2010-02-26T17:31:00.000-08:00

[This post is from Albert Mohler's blog.]

Posted: Friday, February 26, 2010 at 5:36 am ET

The Rev. Eric Bergman thinks he has seen the future -- and it isn't Protestant. Known as Father Bergman now, Rev. Bergman became a Catholic priest after serving for years as an Episcopalian minister. His conversion to Roman Catholicism came, he relates, after he began to ponder the moral and theological issues related to contraception. Looking back, he dates the fall of the Anglican tradition to 1930, when the Church of England accepted birth control. "Out of that," he says, "came a confusion about the roles of men and women, a theology of androgyny."
We know all this thanks to an article by Charlotte Hays, whose writings are always thoughtful and perceptive. She serves as editor of a very interesting journal, In Character, but this article was published in Friday's edition of The Wall Street Journal. In "The Beginning of the Reformation's End?," she fires a salvo at mainline Protestantism.
She writes of a Washington gathering of "ex-Episcopalians, curious Catholics, and a smattering of earnest Episcopal priests in clerical collars" who were drawn to an Evensong and Benediction service sung according to the Book of Divine Worship, which Hays describes as "an Anglican use liturgical book still being prepared in Rome." In the main, it follows the order and language set down by Thomas Cranmer almost 500 years ago.

Confused yet? The phrase "Anglican use" refers to a limited allowance for Roman Catholics to use a revised version of the Anglican liturgy in Catholic worship. The idea has taken on a new urgency with Pope Benedict XVI's declaration of the Apostolic Constitution known as Anglicanorum coetibus, handed down back in November. As Hays rightly explains, this papal allowance "provides for former Anglicans to come into the Catholic Church as a group and retain certain of their traditions."

Significantly, Anglican priests undergoing conversion to Catholicism under this constitution may retain their wives, but if their wife should subsequently die, the priest may not remarry. Priests who convert to Catholicism are "every bit as much priests as other Catholic priests," she insists, even though married priests will not be eligible to serve as bishop. There will be an "ordinariate" (much like a diocese) that will oversee Episcopalian members, priests, and congregations that convert.
The Pope's outreach to Anglicans did not go without protest from Anglican leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Nevertheless, there is more here than Catholic opportunism. The Pope is reaching out to Anglicans who are outraged by the liberalism within their communion. The election of an openly-homosexual bishop in 2003 was the last straw for many Episcopalians. The election of a second openly-gay bishop in recent weeks will add insult to injury.
Rev. Bergman sees even more. As Charlotte Hays reports:
But Father Bergman not only predicts a mass movement toward Rome. He believes Anglican Use may mark the beginning of the end of the Reformation. There will be "a flourishing of this throughout the world," he says. "Wherever there are Anglicans, there will be people who want to enter Holy Mother Church." As he told a rapt audience at St. Mary's, "If we look at histories, heresies run themselves out after about 500 years. I believe we are seeing the last gasp of the Reformation in the mainline Protestant groups."
The beginning of the end of the Reformation? Rev. Bergman sees the 60 people gathered for Evensong and Benediction as a sign that the Reformation is over. He describes the Reformation as a movement of "heresies" and then suggests, quite creatively, that "heresies run themselves out after about 500 years." Thus, he now sees "the last gasp of the Reformation in the mainline Protestant groups."
In all honesty, I have to give him his due on that last argument. A look around mainline Protestantism will provide ample evidence of "the last gasp of the Reformation" within many churches and denominations founded and grounded in the faith of the Reformers.
The Episcopal Church seems determined to commit ecclesiastical suicide, electing homosexual bishops, looking the other way when same-sex unions are blessed, and generally allowing just about any heresy to find a voice and a constituency -- often among its bishops. Those looking for evidence of theological disaster need look no further than the Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong, the retired bishop of Newark, New Jersey. Spong has denied every conceivable Christian doctrine, leaving Christianity itself beyond its "last gasp" in his reconstruction.
The mainline Lutheran denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America [ELCA] voted this past summer to distort Martin Luther's affirmation of his conscience "bound by the Word of God" to allow for its ministers to deny clear teachings of Scripture and requirements of the creeds. The denomination now allows for the service of openly-homosexual and "partnered" clergy and same-sex blessings.
The largest Presbyterian denomination, the Presbyterian Church, USA [PCUSA] has debated the same issues for years now, even as it has discussed allowing its clergy to replace references to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit with metaphors like "Rainbow, Ark and Dove," "Speaker, Word and Breath," "Overflowing Font, Living Water and Flowing River," "Compassionate Mother, Beloved Child and Life-Giving Womb," "Sun, Light and Burning Ray," "Giver, Gift and Giving," "Lover, Beloved and Love," "Rock, Cornerstone and Temple," and "Fire that Consumes, Sword that Divides and Storm that Melts Mountains."
Several other denominations with Reformation roots have followed similar courses or have merged within new denominational forms that allow for much the same. The bottom line is that there is no shortage of evidence to support Rev. Bergman's argument that "the last gasp of the Reformation" can be seen in many quarters.
Nevertheless, it is hard to imagine liberal Lutherans, Presbyterians, or members of the United Church of Christ converting to Catholicism. The same holds true, of course, for liberal Episcopalians in the United States or liberal Anglicans worldwide. Rev. Bergman knows this, but he sees the promise of more conservative Protestants giving up on their churches, giving up their Reformation convictions, and coming home to Rome.
With the zeal of a convert, Rev. Bergman calls the convictions of the Reformation "heresies." While I hold these doctrines to be the very Gospel of Christ, I do understand and appreciate Rev. Bergman's honesty. Evidently, he has read the anathemas from the Council of Trent.
The central doctrine of the Reformation is this -- justification by faith alone. Angry and disenchanted Episcopalians may seek refuge from their denomination's apostasy, but if they "cross the Tiber" they deny the central doctrine of the Reformation and take the position that it is heresy.
In other words, the exodus of any number of Episcopalians -- whether it be large or small -- will not point to the end of the Reformation, or even to what Charlotte Hays describes as "the beginning of the end of the Reformation." Instead, it will point to the urgent need for genuine reformation in the churches that once claimed Reformation faith.
The Reformation was fed and led by those who affirmed, with Luther, that justification by faith alone is "the article by which the church stands or falls." Thus, those who go "home to Rome" are repudiating the core of the Reformation. This is about far more than homosexual bishops and wacky metaphors for the Trinity.
The Reformation may be on its "last gasp" in the liberal churches of mainline Protestantism, but thankfully not everywhere. If Rev. Bergman gets out much he is more likely to find a generation of young evangelicals who are embracing with fervor and commitment the very doctrines he sees as heresies on their last gasp.
Short of a major act of God, mainline Protestantism will continue its slide into apostasy and irrelevance. Pope Benedict is likely to find more than a few Catholic-leaning Anglicans who are exhausted by Anglican travails and ready to cross over to Rome.
But is the Reformation on its last gasp? Not where the Gospel is prized and preached. Not where a repudiation of justification by faith alone is known to be a repudiation of the Gospel itself -- and to be a heresy that has lasted far more than 500 years.
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DoD Announces New Policy on Social Media

2010-02-26T17:14:00.000-08:00

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Finally, after months of waiting and anticipation, the Department of Defense has announced its policy on “Responsible and Effective Use of Internet-Based Capabilities.” Below is the official release posted around 1:00 EST today.

Today the Department of Defense released a policy memorandum regarding the safe and effective use of Internet-based capabilities, including social networking services (SNS) and other interactive Web 2.0 applications.

The memorandum makes it policy that the DoD non-classified network be configured to provide access to Internet-based capabilities across all DoD components. Commanders at all levels and heads of DoD components will continue to defend against malicious activity on military information networks, deny access to prohibited content sites (e.g., gambling, pornography, hate-crime related activities), and take immediate and commensurate actions, as required, to safeguard missions (e.g., temporarily limiting access to the Internet to preserve operations security or to address bandwidth constraints).

The directive is consistent with the increased security measures that the Department has taken to secure its networks and reinforces existing regulations related to ethics, operations security, and privacy.

“This directive recognizes the importance of balancing appropriate security measures while maximizing the capabilities afforded by 21st Century Internet tools,” said Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn III.

Use of Internet-based capabilities, including SNS, have become integral tools for operating and collaborating across the DoD and with the general public. Establishing a DoD-wide policy ensures consistency and allows for full integration of these tools and capabilities.

The new policy memorandum is available at: http://www.defense.gov/NEWS/DTM%2009-026.pdf .

What are your reactions to the new policy? Leave us your thoughts in the comments section.

Posted byashmccallunderArmy News, Current Events, social mediaDepartment of Defense, DOD, social media, Social Media Policy, U.S Army| Comments (0)

February 26th, 2010

“Riding Along”

2010-02-19T14:02:00.001-08:00

February 19th, 2010

Happy Friday! It’s time again for the U.S. Army’s Photo Caption Contest. Show us your creative side by leaving your best photo caption. The winner’s caption will be posted on Monday. Good Luck!

Posted byashmccallunderArmy Photos, social mediaanimals, Army Photos, Photo Caption, U.S Army| Comments (0)

February 19th, 2010

Hollywood Reporting-Army Style

In follow-up to yesterday’s guest post from the 302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment in Bell, California, Staff Sgt. Carlos Lazo provides a more detailed and personal account of his “Day in the Life” of a Hollywood Reporter (Army Style, of course).

“I want your loving and I want your revenge.”

That’s what I woke up to on Feb. 15. Lady Gaga was singing at full volume, the result of my alarm radio going off and my poor choice in radio stations the night before.

It was 7 a.m. and I needed to get ready. After silencing Gaga, I immediately began my daily ritual of bathing, shaving, brushing (teeth – hair isn’t long enough for that), and dressing. This ritual typically takes anywhere from eight to 45 minutes. This day, a respectable 30 minutes was all I needed.

With my Army Combat Uniform on (and no visible strings hanging anywhere on them), I grabbed my ACU backpack (filled with my equipment) and jumped into my car. After a quick stop at the Army Reserve Center in Bell (to pick up the other 302^nd Soldier, Sgt. Jennifer Sierra), I was on my way to Beverly Hills.

After 30 or so minutes of driving – with moderate traffic (a first for LA) – I found her.

The Beverly Hilton Hotel.

A must-hit locale for tourists hoping to see their favorite celebrities.

She was living up to those expectations today, because for the 29^th year in a row, the hotel was hosting the Annual Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon. Not that the endless line of news vans gave it away or anything.

Parking was scarce, almost Jonas-Brothers-at-a-Junior-High scarce, but I was able to find a parking spot at the top level of the parking structure. From there, Sgt. Sierra and I took the elevator down to the main lobby. As soon as we arrived, we noticed the long line of media (cameras gave it away) and our military training immediately took effect – we moved to the end of the line and stood at parade rest.

An hour later – after the waiting, checking-in, ID checks, metal detectors and bag checks – we were shown our respectable areas. Sgt. Sierra was shown to the interview room and I was shown the technical / broadcast room.

The event was set up into three parts for media; the arrival area – where photographers and videographers would be able to capture the nominees’ arrival, the interview room – where the nominees would answer questions from reporters, and the tech room – where technicians could record all the interviews for their respectable news agencies. The plan was for every nominee to walk in, smile at the cameras, turn to the right, pass the tech room, and straight into the interview room. Once done with questions, the nominee would exit the room the same way they entered, andhead straight into the grand ballroom for the actual luncheon.

I was fortunate enough to find a spot at the first table (right next to the double doors leading to the interview room) and began to set up my equipment. After some assistance from the local video specialist (to ensure all my connections were set up correctly), I looked at the schedule provided at the check-in desk. The first thing I noticed was that not all the nominees were expected to arrive. Then the second thing I noticed was the first thing on the menu for the luncheon – gorgonzola salad. Both of these things made my stomach ache.

Fortunately for me, I was not going to eat at the actual luncheon.

I decided to look around for the Academy point of contact provided to my unit, a woman by the name of Danielle, to check in with her and ask what time the nominees where expected to arrive.

I foundDanielle, or better said she foundme, by the arrival area. She informed me that the nominees were expected around 11 a.m. or so. Feeling a bit better (still thinking about that gorgonzola made me nauseous); I made my way back to my seat at the first broadcast table.

Now for the best part of this event – the sightings.

I was sitting down, making small talk with techs from ABC and Canal+ (European television station), when, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted someone familiar. Very familiar.

She seemed to materialize out of nowhere, like an angel almost (cheesy, I know), and had a regal look as she made her way to the interview room. Now most celebrities I’ve seen through the years never look the same in person as they do on film. Sandra Bullock it seems is the exception.

She looked exactly like she does on film or on television, and stood much taller than I anticipated. She waved at everyone in the tech room, before making her way into the interview room.

Her interview was ongoing when, who do I see? Woody Harrelson. As in, nominee for Best Supporting Actor for “The Messenger” Woody Harrelson, a role in which he plays an Army officer who provides next of kin notifications for fallen soldiers.

Then came Kathryn Bigelow, nominated for Best Director and Best Picture for “The Hurt Locker.” O-M-G.

That’s what ran through my mind as I laid eyes on her. She was very tall, not too tall, but tall, and carried a very stately look as she made her way into the interview room. Not the type of woman one would imagine in the Jordanian desert shooting a film many consider one of the best military-themed films in recent years.

Just a couple of minutes after Bigelow, Jeremy Renner, nominated for Best Actor for “The Hurt Locker,” made his way into the interview room. But before entering, he came over to my area and shook my hand, thanking me for my service. I responded that it was a pleasure to meet him. In retrospect, I wish I was able to tell him how much I enjoyed his Oscar-nominated performance.

His performance was one of the main reasons my unit was covering this event. “The Hurt Locker” along with “The Messenger” are the latest in a string of military-themed movies made by Hollywood.

These films have provided the public very different perspectives on military life. From the day-to-day life of combat troops overseas to military members dealing with their responsibilities here in the U.S. And although many will point out the obvious differences between the movie world and the real world, increased interaction between all branches of the military and Hollywood filmmakers will allow these two worlds to come closer together.

And covering events like these allows us, the military, to capture the recognition these films have received. Yes, this does mean I’m a bit biased in my reporting here at this event, but in all fairness, if we don’t cover the military aspect of these awards, who will?

Posted byashmccallunderArmy NewsStaff Sgt. Carlos Lazo, U.S Army| Comments (0)

Falling on Deaf Ears? — Why So Many Churches Hear So Little of the Bible

2010-02-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

[This is from Albert Mohler's blog.]

Posted: Friday, February 19, 2010 at 8:32 am ET

"It is well and good for the preacher to base his sermon on the Bible, but he better get to something relevant pretty quickly, or we start mentally to check out." That stunningly clear sentence reflects one of the most amazing, tragic, and lamentable characteristics of contemporary Christianity -- an impatience with the Word of God.
The sentence above comes from Mark Galli, senior managing editor of Christianity Today in an essay entitled "Yawning at the Word." In just a few hundred words, he captures the tragedy of a church increasingly impatient with and resistant to the reading and preaching of the Bible. We may wince when we read him relate his recent experiences, but we also recognize the ring of truth.
Galli was told to cut down on the biblical references in his sermon. "You'll lose people," the staff member warned. In a Bible study session on creation, the teacher was requested to come back the next Sunday prepared to take questions at the expense of reading the relevant scriptural texts on the doctrine. Cutting down on the number of Bible verses "would save time and, it was strongly implied, would better hold people's interest."
As Galli reflected, "Anyone who's been in the preaching and teaching business knows these are not isolated examples but represent the larger reality."
Indeed, in many churches there is very little reading of the Bible in worship, and sermons are marked by attention to the congregation's concerns - not by an adequate attention to the biblical text. The exposition of the Bible has given way to the concerns, real or perceived, of the listeners. The authority of the Bible is swallowed up in the imposed authority of congregational concerns.
As Mark Galli notes:

It has been said to the point of boredom that we live in a narcissistic age, where we are wont to fixate on our needs, our wants, our wishes, and our hopes—at the expense of others and certainly at the expense of God. We do not like it when a teacher uses up the whole class time presenting her material, even if it is material from the Word of God. We want to be able to ask our questions about our concerns, otherwise we feel talked down to, or we feel the class is not relevant to our lives.

It is well and good for the preacher to base his sermon on the Bible, but he better get to something relevant pretty quickly, or we start mentally to check out. Don't spend a lot of time in the Bible, we tell our preachers, but be sure to get to personal illustrations, examples from daily life, and most importantly, an application that we can use.

The fixation on our own sense of need and interest looms as the most significant factor in this marginalization and silencing of the Word. Individually, each human being in the room is an amalgam of wants, needs, intuitions, interests, and distractions. Corporately, the congregation is a mass of expectations, desperate hopes, consuming fears, and impatient urges. All of this adds up, unless countered by the authentic reading and preaching of the Word of God, to a form of group therapy, entertainment, and wasted time -- if not worse.
Galli has this situation clearly in his sights when he asserts that many congregations expect the preacher to start from some text in the Bible, but then quickly move on "to things that really interest us." Like . . . ourselves?
One of the earliest examples of what we would call the preaching of the Bible may well be found in Nehemiah 8:1-8:
And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading with their faces to the ground. [English Standard Version]
Ezra and his companions stood on a platform before the congregation. They read the scriptural text clearly, and then explained the meaning of the Scripture to the people. The congregation received the Word humbly, while standing. The pattern is profoundly easy to understand -- the Bible was read and explained and received.
As Hughes Oliphant Old comments, "This account of the reading of the Law indicates that already at the time of the writing of this text there was a considerable amount of ceremonial framing of the public reading of Scripture. This ceremonial framing is a witness to the authority of the Bible." The reading and exposition took place in a context of worship as the people listened to the Word of God. The point of the sermon was simple -- "to make clear the reading of the Scriptures."
In many churches, there is almost no public reading of the Word of God. Worship is filled with music, but congregations seem disinterested in listening to the reading of the Bible. We are called to sing in worship, but the congregation cannot live only on the portions of Scripture that are woven into songs and hymns. Christians need the ministry of the Word as the Bible is read before the congregation and God's people -- young and old, rich and poor, married and unmarried, sick and well -- hear it together. The sermon is to consist of the exposition of the Word of God, powerfully and faithfully read, explained, and applied. It is not enough that the sermon take a biblical text as its starting point.
How can so many of today's churches demonstrate what can only be described as an impatience with the Word of God? The biblical formula is clear -- the neglect of the Word can only lead to disaster, disobedience, and death. God rescues his church from error, preserves his church in truth, and propels his church in witness only by his Word -- not by congregational self-study.
In the end, an impatience with the Word of God can be explained only by an impatience with God. We -- both individually and congregationally -- neglect God's Word to our own ruin.
As Jesus himself declared, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
__________________________________
Mark Galli, "Yawning at the Word," Christianity Today [online edition], posted November 5, 2009. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/novemberweb-only/144-41.0.html
Hughes Oliphant Old, The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, vol. 1, "The Biblical Period" (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), pp. 98-99.

Guardsmen Give Afghans "Radio in a Box"

2010-02-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

SHINWAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- In a perfect world, accurate information would be as close as a radio. For a country at war, accurate information is invaluable.

Georgia Army National Guardsmen of 1st Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment, are giving the Shinwari and Muhmandari Mountain border villagers of Afghanistan their own voice through the gift of radio.

The two stations, located in the Shinwar and Muhmand Dara provinces, will give outlying villages communication security and while countering Taliban propaganda.

Popularly known as the Radio in a Box, the new media program is one of the initiatives of the International Security Assistance Force counterinsurgency process, and will belong entirely to the Afghan people.

"It will not be a facilitator of military or security mandates," Afghan Border Police, 6th Kandak commander, Col. Niazy said. He punctuated the importance of the mission by stressing how the station's messaging will embrace the needs of the community. "It will be a powerful tool to give our people a voice - a resource. Our mullahs, district government leaders, or our local shop keepers and villagers will have full access and know that they can come to us in a crisis for honest information."

The Kandak headquarters is a temporary location for the Shinwar radio station. It was also once the site for Radio Spin Ghar, part of a 2005 independent media opportunity project called Support for Independent Radio Stations in Afghanistan, which was co-sponsored by U.S. Agency for International Development.

Both stations are fully funded by the coalition with Afghan National Security Force partners offering security, and employ full-time local Afghan station managers and on-air personalities.

"The Gate" (102.1 MHz FM) began airing full-time Jan. 17 at Forward Operation Base Torkham in Muhmand Dara province near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

The Shinwar station [95 MHz FM] celebrated its debut Jan. 21 during the anti-Taliban Shinwari Pact jirga. The gathering of about 170 tribal representatives, a first of its kind, was organized by the 6th Kandak ABP and prominent tribal leaders. It was held embracing the strictest traditions of the six district Shinwari tribal councils to denounce Taliban tyranny and passive governance. The radio station gave prominent Afghan leaders and security forces a new media platform to announce their solidarity during the station's first broadcast.

"It brings us together as one community," Malik Usman said of the opening and the reading of the council's decision to stand with their uniformed brothers in arms. "We can share information with the people immediately when a crisis is identified and ensure their safety."

Council elders received gifts of hand-held radios at the conclusion of the jirga. The same radios will also be distributed by ANSF and coalition forces during patrols to outlying villages.

Niazy welcomes the new media as an extension of service to the people and says programming will be created by local people with call-in segments and unique on-air radio talk shows that will engage government and village officials.

"The station will have a strict traditional format, from the reading of mourners' names, to jirga results and the distribution of public service information," Niazy said. "They will celebrate with music programs, but we can reinforce their personal security with information."

The Bible and Giving: Christian Responsibility in Light of God’s Amazing Grace

2010-01-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

By Daniel Akin, Preident of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC.

Giving in response to God’s amazing grace is a vital and essential aspect of true and
genuine Christian Discipleship. The manner in which one gives, both in attitude and
amount, will be a reflection of the condition of the heart.

When Jesus spoke to this issue, He encouraged His disciples to do more than what was
required under the Old Testament with what was called the tithe (Matt 23:23; Luke
11:42). It is clear that our Lord was concerned not only with what we give but how we
give. In other words, issues of the heart are at the heart of giving.

The most expensive section on giving in all of Scripture is found in 2 Corinthians 8-9.
Here Paul lays down basic principles of New Testament giving. Again, as did the Lord,
Paul makes it clear that giving as we ought is a matter, not so much of obligation, as it is
of gratitude, of grace.

Throughout my 30 years in ministry I have instructed the students under my watch-care
in what I call “Grace Giving.” Quickly walking through this classic passage in 2
Corinthians, what are some basic questions we should follow as we express our gratitude
to God for what He has done for us through His Son Jesus? I note 12 things:

1) Outward circumstances and personal difficulties should not prevent generosity in
our giving (8:1-4).
2) All financial giving should be preceded first by the giving of oneself to the Lord
(8:5).
3) Those who follow Jesus should excel in the grace of giving (8:6-7).
4) Generous giving is an expression of the love one has for Jesus (8:8-9, 24).
5) There is an intimate connection between the “Grace of God” and the “Grace of
Giving.” The former naturally leads to the latter (8:8-9).
6) A willingness to be generous in giving is more important than the amount given
(8:12).
7) We should give to churches and ministries that handle God’s money judiciously
and responsibly (8:16-21).
8) Generous giving out of gratitude to God will encourage others to do the same
(9:1-2).
9) The attitude in which we give is important to God. He loves willing and cheerful
givers (9:5-7).
10) Generosity in giving moves God to supply more and meet our genuine needs (9:8-
11).
11) Grace giving will result in praise and thanksgiving to God (9:11-14).
12) Generous giving is the natural response to God’s gracious gift of Jesus (9:15).

Paul understood how important Christian stewardship was to true and genuine Christian
discipleship. He knew that giving cannot help but reveal the spiritual life of those who
call Jesus Lord. He knew that how we give is a commentary on our love for Christ, His
Church, and the lost.

Myth-busters' Clarification

2010-01-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

Task Force releases 'myth busters' clarification By Joe Westbury, Managing Editor Published November 5, 2009

DALLAS, Texas — Taking on the role of myth busters, the Great Commission Task Force released a statement following their Oct. 27 meeting clarifying their role in calling for denominational renewal.

The series of year-long meetings, which originally were to be open to the public, have been closed to media and others and resulted in widespread speculation about the group’s dealings – especially when it comes to restructuring the Southern Baptist Convention.

Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd, chairman of the group, said the press release was meant to clear the air on a half-dozen high profile myths that have been circulating since the Task Force’s first meeting in Atlanta in early August. The myths have been so rampant, Task Force member and Southeastern Seminary President Daniel Akin recently began a myth-busting blog and Index Editor Gerald Harris addressed the issue in the Oct. 22 issue of the paper in an editorial titled “You’re only as healthy as your transparency.”

BP

Southern Baptists start churches among a variety of people groups ranging from ethnics to cowboys to the homeless in North America. The GCR Task Force, meeting in Dallas on Oct. 27, went on record to say that it has no intentions of partnering with non-Southern Baptist entities, such as Acts 29, to further its church planting efforts. Cody Huffman, above, prepares to share a message with the crowd gathered just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, for a worship service coordinated by Circuit Riders Motorcycle Ministries and Rushing Wing Church.
The six myths addressed in the document dealt with the role of the Cooperative Program; partial out-sourcing of the denomination’s role in church planting; influencing the presidential search committees for the North American Mission Board, International Mission Board, and SBC Executive Committee; diminishing the role of state conventions or associations; addressing theological issues such as Calvinism; and the timing of the release of the Task Force’s findings.
The statement, as released by Floyd, said the Task Force:
1. is not considering any abandonment of the Cooperative Program.
“We are asking questions about how the Cooperative Program can remain our central system of missions funding, not whether it will remain so. We were charged to ask the hard and most strategic questions about how Southern Baptists can more faithfully fulfill the Great Commission together – and together means together. We want to encourage churches to give even more enthusiastically and to see and celebrate a great increase in stewardship at every level.”
2. is not considering any recommendation that Southern Baptists partner with any parachurch or non-Southern Baptist ministry, specifically Acts 29.
“We are thankful for what every Great Commission church, denomination, and ministry is doing for Christ,” Floyd said, “but we are assigned the task of looking at how Southern Baptists – very specifically – can work together more faithfully.”
3. is not trying to determine the work of search committees and trustees currently seeking new leadership for their SBC entity.
“Presidential searches are now underway at the North American Mission Board, International Mission Board, and the SBC Executive Committee. Given our assignment, we can’t ignore the obvious,” asserted Floyd.
“This is an historic moment for Southern Baptists. We have an assignment focused [on being released at] the SBC in Orlando [in June 2010]. These boards have their own ongoing assignment, leadership, and stewardship. We will do our own work, and pray for others as they do theirs.
“Will our work as a task force have any effect on these entities? Our determined goal is to do more, not less, for the Great Commission in every area. I am sure each of these boards shares that very same goal.”
4. is not seeking to diminish the work of either state conventions or local Baptist associations.
“To the contrary,” Floyd corrected, “we want to forge a future that maximizes Southern Baptist work at every level – and change is happening at every level. Our concern is to see every Southern Baptist work encouraged and even more fully engaged for the Great Commission.”
5. is not devoting its time or energies to a discussion about specific theological issues discussed within the Southern Baptist Convention.
“This is not about Calvinism, anti-Calvinism, or any other ‘ism.’ This is about faithfulness to the Great Commission – period. That is our theological agenda,” he reiterated.
6. is not planning to wait until Orlando to release its report and recommendations. “Our avowed intention is to bring as much as we can to the February meeting of the SBC Executive Committee,” Floyd continued in the prepared statement.
“This is a huge challenge, but we are pushing ourselves hard. Orlando is our ultimate deadline, but only for the final form of our report.”

Open discussion, huge responsibility
Also during the meeting, Task Force members received input from state executive directors who released their own set of concerns. Twenty-two of the denomination’s 42 state leaders attended the meeting at the Grand Hyatt Hotel at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport. See related story on this page.
Bill Mackey, executive director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, chairman of the Fellowship of Southern Baptist State Executives, introduced David Hankins, executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, who made a major presentation to the Task Force. Members then entered into a period of open discussion with the state executive directors.
Speculation about the work of the Task Force and questions about its eventual recommendations framed at least part of the background for the discussion with the state executives, Floyd acknowledged.
“We were looking for an honest conversation and a meeting of hearts and minds. The state conventions are vital to our total Southern Baptist work, and this dialogue was vital to the work of the task force.
“Let me be clear. We are dealing with big questions and big ideas here,” Floyd said. “We need every consecrated Southern Baptist mind and heart sharing with us in the process.
“We will be listening to Southern Baptists all the way to Orlando, and we welcome every voice. This is a huge responsibility.”
"Take The Index" Rap

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Katherine Callaway Hart is honor graduate at Clemson Univ.

2010-01-13T19:24:00.000-08:00

Katherine Callaway Hart received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting, magna cum laude, with departmental honors from Calhoun Honors College in commencement exercises at Clemson University December 17, 2009.

Hart is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward G. Hart of Columbia, S.C., and the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Callaway of Washington, Mr. and Mrs. Russell E. Hart of Spartanburg, S.C., and the late Frances Garner Hart. She is the niece of Mr. and Mrs. E. Turner Callaway of Rayle. [Katherine is my late wife's great niece.]

While at Clemson, Hart was named to Beta Alpha Psi, the national honor society for business and financial information students and professionals; Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society; and The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. She was also a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, a supplemental instructor in accounting for the Clemson Academic Success Center, and a whitewater raft guide on the Chattooga River for Nantahala Outdoor Center.

Gresham Family Gathering

2010-01-02T17:35:00.000-08:00

Gathering around Sara Gresham during a Thanksgiving celebration are all of her great-great-grandchildren, Ashlyn, Morgan, Camryn and Jaclyn Johns and Kaye Lynn Gresham of Marietta, Luke and Gresham Davis of Birmingham, Ala., Aileen Cain and Brooke, Zachary and Emma Grace Harris, all of Calera, Ala.

[This is an article from the News-Reporter dated December 31, 2009. Sara Gresham is the widow of my first cousin William Johnson Gresham, great-great grandfather of the children. His children (my first cousins-once-removed or second cousins) are their great grandparents. His grandchildren (my first cousins-twice-removed or third cousins) are their grandparents. His great-grandchildren (my first cousins-thrice-removed or fourth cousins) are their parents. Wow!]

Anne Griffin Patterson

2010-01-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

Anne Griffin Patterson presented at debutante ball in Orangeburg, S.C.

Anne Griffin Patterson
Anne Griffin Patterson of Orangeburg, S.C., was presented at the 49th Annual Debutante Ball of The Assembly of Orangeburg, S.C., on Friday evening, December 18, at The Cinema.

Miss Patterson was among the eight debutantes presented.

She is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Steven Griffin Patterson of Orangeburg and the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert Eugene Callaway [my brother-in-law] of Washington, Mrs. Grady Leslie Patterson and the late Mr. Patterson of Columbia, S.C.

Miss Patterson was presented by her father and escorted by James Andrew Ballard of Spartanburg, S.C. Both Miss Patterson and Mr. Ballard are students of Wofford College in Spartanburg.

Guests were received by the debutantes and their mothers prior to a social hour. Their parents joined the debutantes in the Grand March before the presentation and figure. A champagne dinner and dancing followed.

Dr. and Mrs. Patterson enjoyed hosting eight of Miss Patterson’s Wofford College friends for the Ball, overnight stay and brunch on Saturday. Also enjoying all the festivities were their older daughter, Laura Callaway Patterson, and her escort, David Wood Banks of Duluth, both also Wofford College students.

[This article was in the News-Reporter edition dated December 31, 2009. The subject of the article is my late wife Louise Callaway Johnson's great-niece and the daughter of our niece Katherine Callaway Patterson.]

18.05.2001 Tabriz - Our first taste of Iranian hospitality

2009-12-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

[While reading the Solar Cycle Diaries, I was introduced to this very-well-written blog about a tandem-bike-ride through Turkey and Iran in 2001. Here's the URL to get you to it:

http://www.tandemtoturkestan.com/log_iran/ir_01.html]

Cass writes…

As chance would have it, our arrival in Tabriz coincides with the last stage of the sixteenth Azerbaijan Bicycle Tour. Toiling our way up a steep climb out of Marand, we're left teetering over a valley that encloses the city, confronted by dozens of cyclists procuring track side spots for this 1000km regional version of the Tour de France.

It's Friday, day of rest for Muslims. Like Turks, Iranians seem a nation of picnic lovers. Extended families of fragile old grandpas, languidly relaxed fathers, chador clad wives and football obsessed teenagers (What is your country? England? David Beckam!!) tuck into home made feasts, alluringly served on portable carpets. Gathering momentum like a torpedo, we rocket by to frantic waves and yelps of delight, defiant against the hardy headwind that's trying its best to slow the descent after all our hard toil. Through forested valleys and along undulating plains, the road eventually flattens and widens into the industrial outskirts of the city.

We stop for a few gulps of water in the heat of the day, squeezed onto the gravel by a fleet of thundering lorries. Two Lycra skinned riders - a particularly strange sight in this Muslim republic - join us for the last fifteen kilometres into the city. Our introductions to Habib and Farad are made on the move, all but drowned out by the roar of traffic, uneasily cycling side by side just a hair's width from a stream of friendly by lumbering trucks and nimble but careless Paykan saloons.

A quick pit stop before we reach the city suburbs has our friends unfolding neatly pressed shirts and trousers from rucksacks, blending into the Islamic surroundings once more. Expecting to reach the city centre, before we know we find ourselves on a tour that emerges before Habib's home, introduced to his radiantly rounded mother, shaking the hand of a slightly bemused father and nodding towards clusters of intrigued neighbours peering from windows and doorways. Downing rounds of tea we work our way through a bowl of fruit before a half dozen giggling children, waited over like king and queen.

It's our first time in an Iranian house, our first experience of Iranian hospitality. We sit on the floor propped up with cushions, admiring the open design and simple decorations, painfully aware of our smelly socks. Habib is a baker, his brother a dentist and his father a bus driver. Their home is far bigger and more modern than we expect. Carpets are the main theme and there's not a bed or chair in sight - just a spotless kitchen and in the background a DVD of a Maria Carey concert - perhaps to make us feel more at home! After a few days in cramped hotels, it seems very luxurious.

As well as two brothers who watch us through thick glasses, Habib has two sisters who move like a blur, constantly scuttling around to replenish tea cups and fruit plates, disappearing into the kitchen every few moments. A succession of doorbell rings marks the arrival of friends and family, reminding us of a soap opera. Away from the prying eyes of the street, Rosal is allowed to lift her hejab - the head dress that conforms to Iranian law - and there follows a session of hair gazing, swooning and admiration. Habib's family express their dislike for the religious mullahs and their stringent laws, preferring the pre Islamic Revolution rule of Shah Pahlavi. Despite the Shah's apparently repressive government, it's an opinion we have heard several times in just the few days we have been in Iran.

A stilted conversation, limited by the phrases in the back of our Lonely Planet guidebook, is relieved by the arrival of the wife of Habib's brother. Married by arrangement just two months ago after Habib' s mother took a shine to this sweet faced teenager, Elnaz is just 16 to Ali's 27 years of age. As far as we can make out, the couple don't live together just yet - Eland has been called out to put her studies into practise and act as interpreter. With the help of an English-Farsi dictionary, we chat way, silences filled by all round beaming smiles until a banquet of rice and salad appears, served on a huge plastic tablecloth laid out on the carpet. Our arrival is celebrated by the opening of a dozen bottles of neon orange Zam Zam - the Iranian equivalent of Fanta. Plates stacked high with crispy rice seasoned with red currents are proffered and we're strongly encouraged to eat until we can no longer move, then invited to stretch out and relax our weary limbs.

Such incredible hospitality, almost overbearing in its zeal, puts our own Western preconceptions of Islamic people to shame. Two strangers invited into a home, we can have hoped for no warmer welcome to Tabriz, gratefully accepting their offer to spend the night.

Senior Leaders Blog, Too

2009-12-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

Army Secretary John McHugh speaks with California native Staff
Sgt. Nathaniel Cummings of Charlie Company, 296th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, about taking care of Soldiers at Foward Operating Base Warhorse, Diyala, Iraq. December 18, 2009.

Just returned from a great trip seeing our Army’s efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait – followed up by a visit with Soldiers and their medical team at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Spending time with our Soldiers overseas was a real improvement from my usual work week. As much as I value the input of the Army’s great senior military and civilian leaders at the Pentagon and throughout Washington, D.C., you just can’t beat what is learned from a personal view of conditions on the ground.

Not surprisingly, the primary intent behind the trip was to get feedback from Soldiers. My job as Secretary of the Army is to organize, train and equip the Army to carry out its mission to fight and win the nation’s wars. Among other issues, I asked Soldiers how well their unit formations function given their set of wartime missions, how we can improve training stateside before they deploy, their experiences with the various MRAP vehicles now in theater, and the medical evacuation process. In Kuwait, I focused on the tremendous effort to drawdown personnel and materiel in Iraq and concurrently to surge into Afghanistan. As a professional Army, we are committed to continuous improvement in order to do our mission more effectively and efficiently while minimizing loss of life. My impression is that we’re doing a good job, but I’ve brought back a few ideas to share with leaders here to provide even better support to warfighters in the field.

I also wanted to share some holiday cheer. At each place I visited, I expressed to Soldiers the thanks of the Army and the nation for their sacrifices and those of their families. It’s humbling to wish “happy holidays” to a Soldier at a remote forward operating base, and even more so when that Soldier is serving a second or third tour. Our nation is truly blessed by the commitment and courage of the few who choose to put country before self and serve us honorably.

For those of you reading this who are part of the military community – Soldiers, DA civilians, spouses, kids, parents, veterans, and volunteers – let me thank you for your part to keep our nation strong during this period of protracted conflict. Each of you makes a contribution to preserve our way of life, and to enable others to have a better future. My wish for us all, this year as always, is a warm, healthy, safe, and secure New Year.

Posted byashmccallinArmy News, social mediaJohn McHugh, Secretary of the Army, U.S. Army

The Kindle Experience — A Personal Report

2009-12-22T04:46:00.000-08:00

[This post is from Albert Mohler's blog]Books are a major part of my daily life. As I write this, I am surrounded by many thousands of books, each with its own feel, appearance, and meaning. Many of these books have played crucial roles in my thinking and understanding. Even as Christianity requires a certain level of literacy for its transmission and understanding, the book (whether scroll or codex) is rightly cherished by Christ's people.

There is something special about most books and the experience of reading them. The physical reality of the book, including its cover, paper, typeface, and design are part of its charm. Books are wonderful to behold, to sense, to hold, and ultimately to read. As a technology, books have survived the test of time. They do not need batteries, they hold up well with a minimum of maintenance, and, unlike a computer, they never crash. Books are almost perfect as a combination of design and purpose. Who could ask for more?

I do. The printed book is superior to almost every imaginable technology in any number of respects, but not in all. The digital revolution has reached the world of books, and things are forever changed. I was an early adopter of the Kindle, Amazon.com's almost iconic electronic reader. My first Kindle was bought soon after the technology became available. I purchased a few books and intended the Kindle to operate as a supplement to my library of printed books. I did not expect to spend much time with it, but I saw the advantage of instantly-available books that could be carried in my briefcase by the hundreds.

Now, I travel with an unreasonable number of books inserted throughout my luggage, but I cannot stash more than a few. The Kindle allows me to carry hundreds, and eventually thousands. Even as Nicholas Negroponte of MIT predicted the shift of all information from atoms to bits, the Kindle allows this transformation for the book. Writing in The New Republic, Anthony T. Grafton predicts that "electronic reading will move from being one of the ways we access and consume texts to the dominant mode."

I am not sure of that when it comes to books, but it is already true for any number of other published formats, ranging from newspapers to academic journals. I cannot imagine that the Kindle (or any similar technology) will replace the printed book in affection or aspiration, but it has already become a means of transcending the material barrier when it comes to books.

Put bluntly, I seldom leave home without my Kindle. It rides in my briefcase, holding more books than I could ever carry and ready for more.

I started with the original Kindle, then switched to the Kindle 2, and upgraded to the Kindle DX. I eagerly recommend the Kindle DX as the state-of-the-art Kindle. Amazon now also offers a Kindle that can be used to purchase books internationally.

Some thoughts:

1. Do not think of the Kindle as replacing the book. Bury that thought. Bury it deep. Then go and hold a favorite book in your hand. Enjoy. Then pile 50 of your favorite books and carry them with you all day, through airports, onto airplanes, checking into hotels, sitting in meetings, reading in bed at night. You get the point. You sit (gloriously) in a library. You take a Kindle in your briefcase.

2. Yes, you really can read books with this thing. The experience is not identical to reading a printed book, but it is very satisfactory for most books, magazines, and newspapers. The screen technology makes the Kindle look much like a printed book with type on a page. You will gain a feel for reading on the Kindle quite quickly.

3. The ability to purchase and receive books almost instantaneously is nothing short of amazing. I recently needed a couple of books for an article I was urgently writing in a New York City hotel room at 2:00 AM. No worries. I had both books on my Kindle within five minutes.

4. My Kindle holds dozens of theological classics, Bible translations, and seminal works of theology, history, and philosophy. It also holds a great deal of literature, including novels. I find reading fiction particularly profitable on the Kindle. I tend to forget the technology and just get lost in the book. I also have dozens of biographies, books on current events, and books by favorite authors on my Kindle.

5. I purchase and read some books on the Kindle, knowing full well that I probably do not want to maintain them in my permanent library collection. The Kindle is glad to hold them for me. You can often request a sample chapter to see if you want to purchase the book. I generally find myself hooked.

6. I really like the ability of the Kindle DX to receive and display PDF files and the ability of all Kindles to receive my own files as books. I can send a manuscript to my Kindle by email and it is there for the reading whenever I need it. That is extremely helpful.

Will the Kindle and its digital competitors replace the printed book? I think not. Indeed I hope not. I think most of us will reserve a special pride of place for printed books. Think not of replacement, but of supplement. Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bazos recently told The New York Times Magazine: "For every 100 copies of a physical book we sell, where we have the Kindle edition, we will sell 48 copies of the Kindle edition."

That stunning figure tells the story. Digital books are here to stay, and sales will only grow. You are probably reading these very words on a screen. That ought to tell you something.

_____________________________

I am always glad to hear from readers and listeners. Write me at mail@albertmohler.com. Follow regular updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AlbertMohler.

I will be trying out the Barnes & Noble e-reader, the "Nook," in coming days. I'll let you know what I think.

Reflections on 'The Rap' and kudos from the parliamentarian

2009-12-12T16:40:00.000-08:00

By J. Gerald Harris, Editor

Published: December 3, 2009

Since our Georgia Baptist Convention meeting I have preached in another state convention, traveled to Germany and Latvia, enjoyed a family vacation in the Sunshine State with all ten grandchildren, had another birthday, and had some time to reflect on our recent GBC meeting at First Baptist Church in Woodstock.

In our annual convention gatherings I have always tried to present The Christian Index as a relevant, Georgia Baptist-centric publication that also addresses moral and cultural issues from a conservative, thoughtful, provocative perspective. Through the years the comments about my reports have been mildly complimentary and placidly approving, but rarely resulting in the sale of any newspaper subscriptions.

Nevertheless, we pressed on with our report year after year undaunted by the lackluster response to our plaintive appeal for new subscribers. We faithfully set up our Christian Index booth amidst all the other ministry displays with the bright hope that one day messengers and guests alike would find the appeal to subscribe to our state paper as compelling as Calvinists’ find grace irresistible to the elect and make a mad rush to sign up on the dotted line.

At the end of each convention we would pack up our goods, fold up our Index display board, eat the remainder of the reduced-priced post Halloween candy that we had not given out to potential subscribers, and trudge back to the Baptist Missions and Ministry Center, not necessarily clothed in laurels and victory.

When we discovered earlier this year that the ministry reports would be limited to a restricted time, placed on a video, and edited to insure that the time constraints were upheld, I knew that I could not preach my typical sermon – oh, excuse me – make my typical report within the framework of the time allotted.

So, one night after eating a pepperoni pizza just before going to bed I had a vision of three persons on our convention staff doing an interpretive dance. While I was not inspired by the interpretive dance the idea of doing a rap suddenly penetrated my skull, lodged in my brain, and struck a responsive chord.

So, I wrote the rap, contacted the Communications Department of the GBC, and the rest is history. The response to the video production has been nothing short of amazing. This whole experience has taught me a valuable lesson – Georgia Baptists are sometimes more likely to respond to the ridiculous than the sublime.

What kind of report will I give at the Convention next year? It is difficult to tell this early, but someone suggested that I come onto the convention platform on a zip line. I have also had someone suggest I do my report as an Elvis impersonator.

All I know is that the ridiculous worked this year; we had more folks sign up to subscribe to The Index than in the previous six conventions combined. I also have been inundated with invitations to do the music for multiple youth retreats and lock-ins. I am of the considered opinion that those invitations were offered in jest. If not, call my booking agent in New York at (800) 555-1234.

To be honest, we may be back to the mundane for next year’s Index report, but if your church would like to use this year’s rap video to promote The Christian Index in your church just give us a call. You can preview it on our website at www.christianindex.org and have a copy sent by calling Heidi Hager at (770) 963-5590.

Actually, the Georgia Baptist Convention annual session was marked by many non-frivolous moments and experiences. The hospitality of First Baptist Woodstock was incredible and worthy of emulation. The business sessions were harmonious and effective. The preaching of Jeff LaBorg, Dan Spencer, and Bucky Kennedy was anointed and inspiring.

Dr. J. Robert White’s state missions report was thrilling and very informative; and the ministry and salvation reports from the rain-soaked participants (almost 1,000 of them) from LoveLoud were truly heart-warming.

Barry McCarty, the parliamentarian for this year’s convention, may have summed the Woodstock meeting up about as well as could be expected of anyone. McCarty has become a fixture at Southern Baptist Convention national meetings for almost 25 years.

In 1986, SBC President Charles Stanley called the American Institute of Parliamentarians and asked them to recommend the best-certified professional parliamentarian in the country who was skilled in church polity. McCarty was the man recommended for the job. Since that time he has stood by the side of multiple SBC presidents to assist them in conducting Convention business.

When the 188th GBC Annual Session met in Woodstock, McCarty, who pastors a church in Dallas, Texas, stood by the side of Georgia Baptist Convention President Bucky Kennedy to assist him in the business sessions of the Convention.

At the conclusion of the Tuesday morning session McCarty turned to me and said, “I have a quote for you, if you are interested.”

I was interested in what he had to say so I got out my pen and paper like an alert, on-task reporter.

He said, “I have been the parliamentarian for a lot of church business meetings and for a lot of Christian denominational gatherings and after observing this convention for two days I have concluded that Georgia Baptists are a happy group of people who have confidence in their leadership.”

Without question McCarty spoke from an experienced and objective perspective; and for what it’s worth, I agree with his assessment.

Copyright © 2009, The Christian Index, All rights reserved, Unless otherwise noted.
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Starting Something You Cannot Finish: Christian Ministry From Generation to Generation

2009-12-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

[This post is from Albert Mohler's blog.]

Posted: Friday, December 11, 2009 at 4:00 am ET
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A commencement ceremony seems absolutely right and profoundly necessary. The hard work of education cries out for ceremonial recognition. The commencement traditions of higher education have developed by formality and ritual in order that this business of teaching and learning would be marked by milestones and memories.

Arrayed before us today is an assemblage of scholars decked out in all their glory. The regalia and ceremonial symbols will be recognizable throughout the world of scholarship and higher education. The completion of degree programs and courses of study deserves recognition. The investment of time -- even blood, sweat, toil, and tears -- is worthy of celebration. Furthermore, there is the very real sense that this institution of learning is setting loose a new generation to go out into the world. The least we can do is to organize an orderly launch.

Of course, there is actually far more here than meets the eye. Even as the regalia and ceremony will be recognizable throughout the world of education, this is no mere commencement ceremony. Then again, this institution is no mere school. This ceremony is a service of Christian worship and this institution serves no less than the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our calling is to educate and prepare a new generation of Christian pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and ministers in order that the church may be faithfully fed and competently led.

The process of education is more than the transmission of knowledge from one mind to another. This is especially true in a Christian institution, where teachers and students are learners together, where committed teachers invest not only their minds but their hearts in the inculcation of Christian conviction and knowledge, and where bonds of friendship and affection inevitably arise. In other words, we have come to love these students and it is no easy thing to let them go.

At such a moment, it seems appropriate that we consider this commencement event in light of Christian wisdom drawn from the Word of God -- a wisdom that is, more often than not, counter-intuitive and distinctively different from that wisdom shaped by secular presuppositions. Indeed, a correct understanding of the Christian ministry will often require us to reject what the world is absolutely certain is true. And this applies even to the wisdom gained from the most trustworthy of human sources -- even our grandmothers.

As a boy, I recall hearing my maternal grandmother's admonishment that I should be always certain to finish whenever I start. In most dimensions of life, this remains good advice; the kind of advice a good and godly grandmother would pass along to her grandson. It is the sort of wisdom that passes the test of conventional acceptance. We should not be satisfied to leave our work unfinished.

In some cases, an unfinished project is a matter of mild embarrassment. Projects begin with great energy and intentionality -- to trace a genealogy, restore a vintage automobile, renovate a room, write the Great American novel, or simply clean the attic. Nevertheless, so many of these aims are never accomplished

In other cases, an unfinished project appears more tragic than embarrassing. Mozart did not live to complete his famed Requiem. Franklin Delano Roosevelt did not live to see final victory in World War II. The landscape of Europe is dotted with both castles and cathedrals begun but not finished. Each of these has become a monument to the frailty of humankind and the fragility of human plans.

Nevertheless, the biblical conception of the Christian ministry is, as we should not be surprised to find, radically at odds with worldly wisdom. According to the New Testament, one of the most important insights about the Christian ministry is this: We will not finish what we begin. This is not to say that we will never set goals and reach them or that we will never complete plans and programs. It does mean that the Christian ministry must be seen in the context of faithfulness extended from generation to generation until Christ returns to claim his Bride.

This truth is made clear in this well-known passage from First Corinthians, Chapter 3:

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

The background of this passage is Paul's utter frustration brought about by the fact that the Corinthian church was so deeply divided into factions. Repeatedly, Paul expresses his grief, frustration, and heartbreaking concern over the tendency of the Corinthians to insult the Gospel and to divide the church by factionalism and a party spirit. As this passage begins, Paul admonishes the Corinthians for their spiritual immaturity. Spiritually, they are satisfied to be nursing infants rather than to grow into the fullness of Christ. They should be eating meat, but they must be fed with milk. When no one claims to follow Paul and the other to follow Apollos they demonstrate to their mutual immaturity and fleshly ambitions.

The exasperated apostle sets the record straight by making clear that both he and Apollos are merely servants of Christ who have been assigned by the Lord to be agents of bringing the Gospel and feeding the flock of the Church at Corinth. Using an agricultural metaphor, Paul simply states: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." Paul was commissioned to bring the gospel to Corinth and he planted the good seed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was followed by Apollos, a man of eloquence, who taught the Word of God and watered what Paul had planted.

Shifting to an architectural metaphor, Paul speaks of his role, by the grace of God, to act as a skilled master builder laying a foundation. He understands that others will come to build on that foundation. Ultimately the true foundation of the Church is none other than Jesus Christ.

In framing his admonitions, Paul reminded the Corinthians that "he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor." Ministers of the Gospel are "God's fellow workers." The congregation is God's field and God's building. Every minister must take care to build faithfully upon the foundation. The one who plant and the one who waters are nothing in themselves. The agent of all true Gospel ministry is God himself. As the remainder of chapter 3 makes clear, the worthiness of our work will be fully disclosed on the day of judgment and tested by fire.

A commencement ceremony takes a quick view backward in order to aim at the long view of the future. This day is far more about beginnings than endings. The completion of these monumentally important programs of study is appropriately marked and celebrated, but our hearts are drawn to the future as we imagine what God will do by his grace and for his glory in these graduates arrayed before us. And so our focus is on the start of new ministries, missionary journeys, and opportunities to serve the church for whom Christ died.

But, in light of Paul's words to the Corinthians, it seems necessary for us to set loose these graduates with the exhortation that they must start what they will themselves never finish. As a matter of fact, we really do not start what is altogether new. We will all build on the foundation someone else has laid. Even as the Lord grants opportunity to sow seed, we will spend much of our lives and ministries watering. The Christian ministry is not a career. It is a calling that originates in the sovereign majesty of God and is concluded only by the coming of the kingdom of the Lord, and of his Christ.

In the church age, ministry is handed from generation to generation. Our humble determination and our heart's desire must be to receive this charge and to serve faithfully --- planting and watering in the fields of ministry and taking care how we build upon the foundation laid before us.

The Lord God spoke through his prophet Joel to promise that older men will dream dreams and young men shall see visions. Powerful, faithful, and compelling dreams and visions animate these graduates. They were brought here to this seminary as they were called to ministry, these visions and dreams have kept them here through years of dedicated study, and these dreams and visions propelled them onward as they go out into a world of ministry and mission.

But as they go, they join a line of faithfulness that reaches back to Moses and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, John the Baptist and John the evangelist, Peter and Philip, Paul and Apollos. It extends through generations punctuated by names such as Athanasius and Augustine, Luther and Calvin, Whitfield and Wesley, Owens and Edwards, Spurgeon and Moody . . . and so it goes.

Graduates of the Southern Seminary class of December 2009, if you aim to finish what you start in ministry, you will aim too low or finish what is not Christ's. Go out to plant, but also to water. Sow the good seed of the Gospel, even as you cultivate and irrigate. Build faithfully upon the foundation laid by Christ and the apostles. Receive the stewardship of ministry that is passed on to you and give your all to this calling so long as you live. Then, pass this ministry to a generation yet unseen and unborn to continue this ministry and extend the reach of the Gospel until Jesus comes.

Start something you cannot finish and give yourself to it for the length of your days, with the strength of your life, to the glory of God. Dream dreams and see visions, and take up this calling as you plant and water in the fields of Christ. Build carefully upon the foundation laid for you. The hopes and prayers of God's faithful people go with you.

______________________

The mighty Florida Gators finally beaten so next year the Bulldogs can take a bite

2009-12-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

By KIP BURKE news editor
Although their season is over, Georgia Bulldog football fans finally have something to cheer about – the mightily hated Florida Gators are finally defeated.

It took, of course, my Alabama Crimson Tide to not only break Florida’s 22-game unbeaten streak Saturday for the SEC Championship, but to thrash the Gators so thoroughly that there is no doubt that the Tide belongs at the top of the SEC and heading to Pasadena for the national championship.

It’s even sweeter that just a year ago, Gator quarterback Tim Tebow and his swamp reptiles defeated Bama for the SEC Championship on their way to another national title for Florida, and it looks like they sauntered into the Georgia Dome feeling invincible and looking for a repeat.

And, to be honest, after Bama’s game against Auburn last week, the Tide didn’t exactly look like a team that could beat Florida, or Texas, or even William and Mary, for that matter. But that was last week.

This week, the Gators showed up at the Dome like national champs who expected to roll right over their next opponent. What we saw, however, was a team terribly surprised, shocked by the fiercely unpredictable offense that Bama put up from the start, a team unable to understand that not only could they be beaten, but that they were being beaten.

I don’t often laugh out loud watching football games, but Saturday I did. I laughed at the confusion on the faces of Gator fans as they saw Bama have their way with Florida. I laughed at the shock on the faces of the Florida players as they realized that they were not only behind, but they were being beaten, and beaten, and beaten some more.

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who got the grins as, between plays, the TV showed the faces of Gator fans as they registered first concern, then panic. Could we actually lose? Noooo, we’re the Gators, chomp chomp! Undefeated!

Now I know you Bulldog fans would never rejoice over the tears running down Tim Tebow’s face – that kind of schadenfreude is impolite and the relationship between the Dawg fans and Gator fans is just a friendly rivalry, right? Well, maybe not.

But the fact is, the mighty Gators have fallen. Bama’s proven that they’re not invincible after all. That means that the University of Alabama, 22-time SEC champs, will meet the Texas Heifers, I mean Longhorns, in Pasadena for the national title in January. Since the Dawgs didn’t make the post season, you might as well cheer along with me for the Tide.

And who knows, Georgia fans, now that Florida’s been whupped, maybe a resurgent Bulldog team can beat them, too, next fall, and nail a banged-up Gator hide to the locker room wall. That would be sweet.

Tonight I’m going to sit down and watch a cable rerun of Alabama beating Florida – like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” it’s a great story that I just can’t watch enough. Roll Tide.

New capability gives National Guard Soldiers more realistic training opportunities

2009-12-03T05:22:00.000-08:00

CAMP BLANDING JOINT TRAINING CENTER, Fla. (Nov. 27, 2009)

By Sgt. Christopher Milbrodt, Florida Army National Guard

- In the midst of a nondescript Middle Eastern-style village, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Soldiers interact with the local inhabitants the same as they have done day in and day out on routine patrols.

Today, however, something feels different. You can describe all the little things that make you feel that way: the hairs on your neck, that pit in your stomach, or even the fidgeting that at this point you can't stop. No matter what it is, something isn't right.

You look to your buddy for validation of your feelings, and as he acknowledges, BOOM! Chaos erupts as a car explodes and gunfire bursts from a house down the street. Now your mind clears and your body calms down, and all that remains is your training and muscle memory of your tasks at hand.

This engagement didn't take place on some foreign battlefield, and no one was injured. It was just simulations and blanks. This isn't simply a training event, but a true learning experience from which to build - provided through the Exportable Combat Training Capability, known as XCTC.

While these scenarios unfold, subcontractors monitor the movement and actions of each Soldier and establish a high-tech "overwatch" to help even the individual Soldier understand what went right and what went wrong.

XCTC is taking the National Guard to a new level of readiness.

In 2006 at Camp Atterbury, Ind., the principal exercise of XCTC was conducted to demonstrate the type of training to be offered. The 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team is participating here in the seventh rotation of XCTC's training package since its inception. Each rotation, consisting of 21 days or more, is completely customized and tailored to unit mission and requirements. Previously, this type of training was available only at a select few training installations, and most National Guard units did not have the resources to attend.

As part of the ever-changing overseas contingency operations, XCTC brings the most up-to-date theater-specific training to mobilizing Army National Guard units. This approach to mobilization training cuts down on the time spent at mobilization sites and increases the amount of time units can actively support combat commanders.

The XCTC was designed to fill a capabilities gap in training set forth by Army training strategy that the Army could not provide to Guard units. The National Guard Bureau, along with a team from Stanford University, used the Army's training criteria to develop a program that could fill the void.

The XCTC is available only to deployable expeditionary force brigades headed into combat threat areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan. "We work our way down, and we get those [units] that we think fit the model, but you don't get it unless you're deploying to theater," said Col. Rob Moore, chief of the National Guard Bureau's training division. "It is tailored and pinpoint training."

With this new tool, the Army National Guard is able not only to meet, but also to exceed, prior training expectations and standards put in place by the Army. "We know that units that use XCTC accomplish at least 82 percent of all their required tasks for deployment," Moore said.

Total immersion training is what XCTC brings to the units receiving the training package. Soldiers are surrounded by the look, smell, sound, feel and taste of their projected combat tour.

"I believe that increased use of modeling and simulation - and using them with greater effectiveness - will be essential for all reserve components to increase and maintain their combat readiness," said Dennis M. McCarthy, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs.

As part of this immersion, Soldiers interact with American and foreign-national role players to make the exercise as real as possible.

"It's a great pleasure to be able to do what I do," said Thomas Cottle, a volunteer role player from Madison, Fla. "I interact with Soldiers, but I also interact with Iraqi citizens and citizens from other countries as well who speak Arabic. We're helping make this training exercise more realistic for the Soldiers."

Michael LiDondici, managing field director of Allied Container Systems which oversees the role players, said many 53rd Infantry Brigade Soldiers have demonstrated a high level of knowledge of Iraqi culture during the training. He attributes this to the fact that many of the Soldiers wear combat patches and have already deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

"The role players have been absolutely critical to our training success," said Col. Richard Gallant, commander of the 53rd. "From working with interpreters to managing the cultural and religious differences, they have created a level of realism we generally don't see prior to deployment."

The appreciation of the level and quality of training extends not only to the leadership, but also to the most important element of the equation: the Soldier.

"The training we've had so far has been very beneficial," said Pfc. Alistair Salesman, a member of the 53rd. The integration and use of Iraqi nationals, coupled with the complete immersion of the environment, helps to bring valued experience and an ability to better learn the tasks at hand, the Soldier added.

As the Soldiers maneuver through the mock village, they understand the significance of being engulfed in the surrounding culture. While their environment is chaotic, they understand they have to differentiate between the friendly populace and those who would do harm.

"So far, it's going great. We're learning a lot of across-the-board tactics," said Pvt. Eric Alapont, a nursing student from Orlando. "It's really an eye-opener as to what we might expect overseas, given not every town is hostile."

As the brigade finalizes its Florida training before leaving for its active-duty mobilization station, the sense is that the Soldiers are more confident in their ability to get the job done when they deploy early next year, and in their prospects of coming back safely.

Lt. Col. George Rosser, commander of 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, exudes the confidence his Soldiers gained through the training.

"The XCTC portion of [the training] this last week really brings a lot of resources we can't get otherwise, with the civilians on the battlefield and the villages," he said. "That adds a lot more realism, and makes the training that much better for the Soldiers.

"I'm absolutely confident in my Soldiers," he continued. "We've deployed this battalion and this brigade twice already. ... We have an extensive amount of combat experience."

Rosser said the goal is simple: "Bring everyone home alive, having completed the mission."

New flu-fear hand-washing habits possible,

2009-11-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

New flu-fear hand-washing habits possible, it just takes the right amount of motivation
By KIP BURKE news editor

They say that old habits are hard to break, and that's true. I've had more luck substituting one habit for another, replacing a bad habit with a good one, or at least a better one.

It may be a sign that I'm not yet set in my ways, but I've gradually become a hand-washing fool and for the first time in my life, a slightly germophobic cleaner of nasty surfaces where other folks have carelessly slung their germs.

Now, properly motivated, anybody can change any habit. I remember when I was a Navy photojournalist, we called what we did "shooting" photos. That was the standard term - we'd do a photo shoot, we'd shoot this ceremony and shoot that exercise. We had shooting scripts and shooting schedules and shooting assignments. Then in 1989, the President of the U.S. came to our ship to meet with Soviet President Gorbachev, and I found out I had a bad habit.

Members of President G.H.W. Bush's Secret Service detail used our office just prior to the boss's arrival, and pointed out my bad habit. "Chief," one agent said, "we know what you mean, but could you please avoid using the word 'shoot' and 'the president' in the same sentence? It makes us a little twitchy."

Gulp. Well, after the blood returned to my head, I readily agreed, and changed that habit instantly. We "covered" the president's summit, we "documented," but we did not "shoot." Given enough motivation, we can all change.

In the past, when it came to washing hands, I was often hit-or-miss. Since I have a robust immune system and seemed to be largely impervious to most germs, although I preferred to wash up before eating, I didn't make a big deal of it if I couldn't. I was aware that all the money we handle and most public surfaces like doorknobs and handrails harbor a variety of germs, theoretically, but I wasn't motivated to do much about it unless it was convenient.

Until flu season. For the last few seasons, I've been getting better and better about realizing that, if a flu germ is going to enter my body, chances are it's going to come from my hand after that hand touched a surface on which someone has carelessly left their germs. Since I've always preferred to avoid the catching the flu, I've been more aware of that process, and had gradually become a sporadic flu-season hand-washer and nasty-germ avoider.

Now, with the swine flu seeming to affect every family in some way or another, and flu germs being slung willy-nilly all about us, I'm strongly motivated to start a new habit. I have become a hand-washing fool, washing my hands several times a day and using alcohol wipes whenever I couldn't wash.

More than that, I've become aware of when my hands have touched germ-laden surfaces and manage to keep my hands away from my face until they're clean. They say that things we touch repeatedly, like this keyboard I'm typing on, the mouse I use, my car's steering wheel and shifter, can harbor all the infectious nastiness required to get sick as dogs. So I use hand-sanitizing wipes on those surfaces every day I remember to.

Now, I'm not particularly concerned with the swine flu since it doesn't seem to be much worse than the seasonal flu, and I wouldn't take a vaccination even if I were in a qualifying group, so this new handwashing habit is pretty much my only line of defense against getting the flu this year.so far, it's working. If it doesn't, if somebody's dedicated swine flu germs penetrate my defense, I promise to keep the flu to myself and not share.

Y'all wash up for dinner, ok?
Reader Comments

101 Nutrition Tips for a Longer, Better Life

2009-11-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

101 Nutrition Tips for a Longer, Better Life
Nov 2nd, 2009
Scientific and technological advances have made it so that people are living longer than ever. Unfortunately, advancements have also made it much easier to eat unhealthy foods that can have a pretty negative impact on your overall health and well being. Here are some tips to help you embrace good nutrition and eating habits so you can live longer and look good well into old age.

General
Check out these basic tips to get started on improving your diet and your overall well-being:

Use common sense. You know what’s good to eat and what’s not, so use your common sense when it comes to nutrition. You might enjoy eating fast food every day, but you know when enough is enough.
Listen to your body. If you’re feeling run down and less than healthy, take a look at what you’re eating. It may be that you’re not getting the foods you need to feel your best.
Get enough water. Getting enough water can help ensure you stay hydrated and healthy as well as helping you feel fuller faster.
Eat fresh. While you don’t need to avoid all processed foods (we all have our lazy days) you’ll get a lot more out of fresh, unprocessed foods.
Think before you eat. Don’t just eat blindly. Take time to consider whether or not you’re really hungry or are just eating because you’re bored.
Fix meal times. One way to help yourself eat healthier is to have set meal times and stick to them so your body will have a schedule and you’ll know when you’ll be getting hungry.
Don’t skip meals. Skipping meals can cause your blood sugar to drop and cause you to get extremely hungry and willing to eat anything, however unhealthy, in sight.
Learn the food pyramid. If you want a guide for your food choices, check out the guidelines set out by the government.
Eat for your needs. Not everyone has the same nutritional needs. Those who are more active need more calories, those less active need fewer. Find out where you fall.
Work together. Eating well shouldn’t be an individual effort. Involve your whole household in your healthy food choices. It’ll be beneficial and help you all stay on track

Avoiding the Bad Stuff
Those empty calories may taste good but they could be clogging your arteries and setting you up for health problems down the road. Try out these tips to keep the indulgences to a minimum:

Eat fruit rather than fruit drinks. While you might think you’re being healthy by consuming fruit drinks, these concoctions usually have more sugar and less nutrients than the real deal.
Don’t avoid things you crave. If you totally banish those sweet and fatty foods from your life you may be doing more harm than good and end up binging on them in the end. Having a little bit won’t kill you.
Try dark chocolate. Those who have a serious chocolate addiction can have a sweet treat and still be (semi) healthy by having dark chocolate full of antioxidants.
Don’t buy it. One way to keep those pesky unhealthy foods out of mind is to keep them out of sight. Don’t buy them when you’re at the store. If it’s a pain to get them, you’re much less likely to eat them.
Keep treats a luxury, not a routine. Having a piece of cake or some french fries now and again won’t doom you to an unhealthy life. Just make sure these treats are occasional instead of regular.
Eat good fats. Not all fats are bad fats, so choose yours carefully. Avocados are chock full of fats–the unsaturated variety–giving you the fats you need to be healthy without the unhealthy side effects.
Turn off the TV. Ads are designed to get you to buy products, which very often are unhealthy fast foods, sweets and processed, salty, pre-packaged concoctions. Turn off the TV and cut out the chance to get those foods in your mind.
Fill up on good food first. If you’re craving unhealthy foods, try eating something healthy like veggies or fruit first. If you’re still hungry after the healthy snack then consider those other foods.
Be honest. Many times we crave bad foods not because we need them but because we had a bad day, are lonely, bored or some other emotional issue. Learn to recognize when you’re using food to fill a void rather than satisfy a nutritional need.
Find healthy alternatives. Just because you’re eating healthier doesn’t mean you have to give up desserts. Fruit with yogurt can be a satisfying alternative to more calorie-laden and unhealthy options.

Eating out
It’s easy to know what goes into your food at home but it becomes much more complicated when you go out. Here are some tips to help you eat healthy no matter where you’re at:

Choose healthy establishments. Usually you know going into a restaurant what kind of foods they offer. If you don’t want to eat fried chicken, don’t head into a place where you know that’s the main offering. Instead, choose a location you know has healthy options.
Eat half. Restaurant portions are notorious for being too large for one person to consume. Solve this problem by halving your food and only eating that one part and having the rest boxed up to take home.
Research ahead of time. The vast majority of restaurants have online menus and nutrition facts available, and if not, you can usually get a close approximation. Use this information to educate yourself on the healthiest choices at each establishment before you go. It can also help you choose a restaurant that will offer you the most choices for your healthy eating.
Share. If you don’t want to bring restaurant food home with you, you can always share with a friend, and that way you can eat what you’d like without having to worry about overdoing it.
Look at the nutrition facts. It’s not hard to find out the nutritional information for most restaurant offerings these days, letting you know if your choices are truly healthy or if they just appear to be that way.
Get sauces and dressings on the side. Many times it can be better to control just how much of those calorie- and fat-laden dressings and sauces you get on your dish. Simply ask if you can get yours on the side instead.
Ask for healthier sides. While french fries might come with your meal, many places are more than happy to accommodate a request for a side salad or grilled veggies instead. Don’t be afraid to ask.
Limit fried foods and sweets. It might seem obvious, but it’s much easier to fall into the trap of eating unhealthy foods when they are readily available in a restaurant. Avoid them or share them if you must indulge.
Ask about healthy options. Not everything a restaurant offers is always on the menu. You may be able to have your food prepared in a healthier manner or get it with different ingredients. It never hurts to ask.
Investigate the menu. Many menus offer a wealth of health advice if you’re willing to look for it. Most chain restaurants label what dishes are on the lighter side helping you narrow down your choices.

Losing Weight
While having a little extra weight might not kill you, having a lot greatly increases your chances of developing chronic and potentially fatal diseases. These tips are designed to help you shed those pounds and live healthier:

Drink water before you eat. Having a full glass of water before you eat can help you feel more full when you sit down to eat your meal.
Consider smaller, more frequent meals. Because your body doesn’t have a chance to get super hungry, eating smaller meals may help you eat less over the course of a day.
Don’t eat out of boredom. At work or at home, eating because you don’t have anything else to do isn’t uncommon. Remind yourself that eating isn’t a pastime.
Limit snacks. While having snacks in between meals can be good, try to limit it to one or two a day or eating super healthy snacks so you’re not sneaking in loads of extra calories between meals.
Take a hard look at your beverages. Many beverages are packed with calories, sugar and other substances that can contribute to weight gain. Try to stick with water or, if you must, diet or low-cal options.
Keep track of what you’re eating. It can be a big help in weight loss to know just how much you’re taking in on a daily basis. Use an online tracker to monitor your daily intake and track it over time.
Avoid crash diets. There are few things less helpful to long term weight loss than crash diets. Make a real change in your lifestyle if you want to see sustainable change.
Enjoy your meals. When you sit down to eat, it shouldn’t be a race to see how fast you can polish off your food. Give yourself time to slow down and really enjoy what you’re eating. You’ll eat less and have more fun while doing it.
Eat appropriate portions. Many people eat far more than they really should when it comes to portion size. Check with nutritional guidelines to see how much you should be eating of each part of your meal.
Plan your meals. One thing that can be a big help in keeping you on track is planning out your meals for the week. It will help you balance your nutrition and ensure you have a set plan for eating right.
Bring healthy food with you. If you have to run errands or are just stuck at your desk all day, make sure you have at least one healthy snack with you so you won’t be tempted to consume the less healthy options from a vending machine.

Eating Right
These tips will help you learn the basic principles of maintaining a nutritious and healthy diet:

Stay away from sweetened drinks. Sodas, fruit drinks and even juices aren’t doing you any favors. Cut back on the sugar-laden beverages if you want to cut out a major calorie source.
Aim for a balance. Despite what some diets might say, eating all of one thing or another isn’t good for your overall nutrition. Try to maintain a balance of proteins and carbs and vitamins and minerals.
Eat less meat. While lean meats are a great addition to the diet, try to eat less meat and have at least one veggie meal a week to cut back on fat and cholesterol.
Go for whole grains. Eating whole grain breads and pastas can give your body the nutrition it needs and keep you fuller for longer.
Limit the salt you eat. There is no doubt that salt is tasty, but it can have some pretty negative effects on the body if not eaten in moderation.
Cook with care. Just because you’re not frying foods doesn’t mean you’re cooking them in a healthy way. Stick to steaming or sauteing in olive oil.
Carry water with you. Often people eat when they are thirsty, not hungry, so carry a bottle of water with you everywhere to stay hydrated and on track.
Try something new. You may have been a veggie hater your whole life, but the reality is that tastes change and evolve over time and some healthy foods you think you hate might taste different to you now. Try something new to expand your palate.
Make eating right fun. Eating right doesn’t have to be a chore. Make it fun and get your family and friends involved as well.
If you must, hide healthy foods. If you can’t bear to eat a piece of broccoli or a carrot, you can always chop it up super fine and hide it in a sauce so you’re getting your nutrition without the taste.
Eat the rainbow. When you want to eat healthy, it’s best to eat a wide variety of colors of foods, from leafy greens to bright red tomatoes.
Go lean. If you do want to indulge in some beef, choose the most lean and healthy cuts available.

Shopping
Good nutrition starts when you choose what foods to buy. These tips will help you shop smarter:

Look at serving sizes. Sometimes labels will trick you with abnormally small serving sizes. Make sure to check these to see the real nutritional value of a food.
Check out the ingredients. You want to look for foods with healthy ingredients listed first and few preservatives and chemicals.
Watch out for tricky advertising. Some foods aren’t exactly truthful in their advertising and it’s up to you to find out what is truly healthy and what’s just hype.
Shop the perimeter. The perimeter of the store is usually home to fresh baked goods, meats, and produce–foods you should be concentrating on the most.
Avoid pre-packaged and prepared foods. While you can indulge in these now and again, you’ll be much better off eating more fresh food instead.
Have a list and stick to it. Going to the store without a list can result in you buying things you don’t need or shouldn’t be eating, so make a list ahead of time.
Look for fewer ingredients. The ideal foods will have few ingredients or just contain the basic components without much added.
Go to a local market. If you want to find fresh, local and seasonal food, go to a farmer’s market in your area.
Buy organics. While you don’t need to buy everything organic, many people believe avoiding foods sprayed with chemicals can be a great health boon.

Disease Prevention
Learn how eating right can help reduce your risk of developing potentially deadly conditions in these tips.

Eat nuts. While some nuts are better than others, all contain substances that will help you improve your heart heath.
Cut back on the cholesterol. Eating lots of red meat, eggs, butter and other cholesterol rich foods isn’t good for your body, so limit your intake and monitor your levels carefully.
Get folate and B6. These two substances, found in supplements and foods like orange juice, leafy green veggies and broccoli, were found to significantly reduce heart disease risk.
Consume the suggested levels of fruits and veggies. Eating right doesn’t just help you lose weight–these healthy foods are full of nutrients that help your body stave off everything from the common cold to cancer.
Up your vitamin D intake. Many people aren’t getting the levels of vitamin D that they should be, increasing their risk of osteoporosis. Vitamin D can also protect against cancer, autoimmune diseases, arthritis and diabetes.
Watch your calories. Studies have shown that people who eat a low calorie diet actually live longer than those who consume more calories.
Consider a multi-vitamin. While you should be getting your vitamins from the foods you eat, if you’re worried you’re not getting enough, consider taking a supplement.
Eat complex foods. Preprocessed foods contain more vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants that can help you stay looking and feeling young.
Visit your doctor. Making regular visits to your doctor to check your levels and make sure you’re healthy can help you tailor your diet to your needs.
Try soy. Some doctors believe that getting more soy may help lower your cholesterol.

Superfoods to Try
There’s a lot of news out there about superfoods, named because they offer numerous health benefits. Here are a few you can add into your diet:

Plain yogurt. With potassium, protein and calcium this super food is great on its own or can be enriched with other healthy foods for a balanced snack.
Eggs. The protein in eggs has been shown to go a long way, and people who eat them at breakfast often eat less throughout the rest of the day.
Nuts. Nuts may contain a good amount of fat but they also contain protein, heart-healthy fats, high fiber, and antioxidants.
Kiwi. Get your daily requirement of vitamin C from this super food as well as potassium, fiber, vitamin A and vitamin E.
Quinoa. This whole grain may not be part of many diets but it should be with loads of protein, vitamins and minerals. If you don’t like this grain, try oats, wild rice or barley instead.
Beans. Beans come in numerous varieties to suit different taste buds but all offer fiber, protein, magnesium and potassium.
Salmon. Fish that are rich in Omega-3s like salmon offer many benefits from lowering the risk of heart disease to fighting depression.
Broccoli. Try steaming some broccoli with your dinner to get ample servings of vitamin A, vitamin C, and bone-building vitamin K.
Sweet Potatoes. These tasty foods are full of vitamin A and are a great source of other vitamins as well. If you don’t like these root veggies consider pumpkin or carrots instead.
Berries. Foods like blueberries are packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids as well as potassium and vitamin C, lowering your risk of heart disease and cancer and reducing inflammation.
Tea. Teas, both black and green, offer loads of antioxidants helping lower cancer risk and reducing cholesterol.

Looking and Feeling Good
Make sure your added years are good ones with these tips to keep you looking good and feeling great.

Get enough antioxidants. Antioxidants help rid your body of damaging free radicals, so getting enough will not only help you feel better but look younger as well.
Keep skin and hair looking good with protein. Your body needs protein to keep your skin looking supple and your hair looking lustrous.
Have enough calcium. No one wants to be hunched over with osteoporosis in their old age. That’s why getting enough calcium is essential.
Find foods that are anti-inflammatory. Inflammation in the body, not the visible kind, is the cause of many illnesses and premature aging. Eating foods that reduce this inflammation can be a big help.
Cut back on sugars. Sugars may taste yummy but studies have shown that they also age your skin.
Switch to tea. While the caffeine in coffee may not hurt you, it also contains organic acids that cause cortisol, the natural stress hormone in your body, to skyrocket.
Make your carbs count. Good carbs will give your body enough of an insulin response to have an anabolic effect on the muscles without storing excess body fat.
Use healthy oils. Using olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, instead of vegetable oil, which is a polyunsaturated fat that can make your body more susceptible to free-radical damage.
Get your Omega 3’s. These much touted substances have been found to help keep skin looking young and help reduce inflammation in the body.

Striking a Balance
It’s important to maintain a balance of foods in your diet, and these tips explain how to do it.

Veggies and legumes should take up most of your plate. Try planning the rest of your meal around these all important, nutrient rich foods.
Eat a small serving of lean proteins. You don’t need much meat to get the benefits, so choose small, lean servings at your meals.
Make sure to eat whole grains. Grains are an important part of a healthy diet, but you should make sure you’re choosing those that are whole and not heavily processed.
Mix it up. Perhaps one of the most important things to do, however, is to make sure to eat a wide range of foods.
Ensure you’re getting enough fiber. Keeping your digestion going smoothly and your body happy means getting fiber which can be found in veggie and fruit skins, beans, brans, and oats.
Look at food pyramids. The food pyramid was designed to help you balance what you’re eating and get the right amounts of each thing. Consult it if you don’t know how to construct balanced meals.
Look to cultures with long life spans. If you want to create a diet that lengthens your life, look at what cultures with especially long life spans eat and use it as a model.
Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum. The occasional glass of red wine won’t hurt you, but drinking a large amount of alcohol can pack in calories and hurt your body.
Have a plan. Don’t just go at nutrition willy-nilly. Come at what you eat with a plan of what you need, where you want to be, and a map of how to get there. If you need help, try consulting a nutritionist.

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Jimmy Doolittle, American Hero

2009-11-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

Wars and Battle, 1896-1993

"Jimmy was a short, muscular fireplug of a man with a confident grin above his cleft chin. His nose was a little crooked from having been broken on his road to becoming a boxing champion. He was just five feet four inches tall and never weighed more than 145 pounds, but he was a giant who reached the clouds, a king of the sky."

From the novel, Fly Boys, by James Bradley.

The man famous for his daredevil B-25 bombing raid on Tokyo was none other than the "Babe Ruth of Flyboys," the boisterous "Jimmy" Doolittle. However, General Doolittle's aviation legacy is just a fraction of what he ultimately achieved in his near-century-long life.

Early years

Born in Alameda, California, on December 14th, 1896, James Harold Doolittle spent the first three years of his life in California with his mother. His father, inspired by a touch of "gold fever," left the carpenter trade for Alaska when Jimmy was an infant. At three and a half years of age, Doolittle's mother brought him with her to join his father in Nome, Alaska.

When he was 11, he moved with his mother to Los Angeles, where he developed an interest in flying. He became a professional boxer and entered the University of California's School of Mines, in 1915.

Learning to fly

Doolittle was a junior at the University of California when the United States entered World War I. He soon enlisted as a flying cadet in the Army Signal Enlisted Reserve Corps to train as a pilot, where he first earned his wings — quickly making second lieutenant in 1918. Doolittle served in the United States Army Air Corps from 1917 until 1930, eventually becoming promoted to major.

After he learned to fly, Doolittle served as an instructor pilot and began to engage in aerobatics, always with dreams of breaking aviation records. In 1922 he made the first cross-continental crossing in less than a day, taking 21 hours and 19 minutes to fly his De Havilland DH-4 from Pablo Beach, Florida, to San Diego, California — stopping only once to refuel.

Higher education

Jimmie Doolittle enrolled in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1923. He would systmatically obtain a master's degree and then a Ph.D. in aeronautical engineering. After receiving his degrees in June of 1925, fewer than 100 people in the world held comparable credentials.

In his doctoral dissertation, "Wind Velocity Gradient and Its Effect on Flying Characteristics," he combined laboratory data with test flight data to determine that a pilot needed visual aids or instruments to know the direction and speed of the wind and the direction in which the plane was flying. His dissertation collided with the assumption of many other contemporary pilots that they could "know" that information instinctively.

Daredevil

In 1927, Doolittle was the first person to successfully execute an outside loop — previously thought to be a fatal maneuver. Carried out in a Curtiss fighter at Wright Field in Ohio, Doolittle executed the dive from 10,000 feet, reached 280 miles per hour, bottomed out upside down, then climbed and completed the loop.

As the first person to win all major aviation racing trophies, Doolittle also won the Schneider Trophy in 1925, for flying a Curtiss Navy racer seaplane the fastest it had ever been flown, averaging 232 miles per hour.

In April 1926, Doolittle got a leave of absence to go to South America to do airplane demonstration flights. At a party in Argentina, after a few too many drinks, he demonstrated handstands on a high balcony when the balcony gave way, and he broke both of his ankles. Despite the accident, Doolittle put his Curtiss P-1 through stirring aerial maneuvers the next day, with his casted ankles strapped to the rudders. Doolittle looked at the practical side: He could leave his bulky parachute behind since his feet were strapped in and he could not get out in an emergency.

Doolittle returned to the United States, and was admitted to Walter Reed Hospital for his injuries until April 1927. He was then assigned to McCook Field for experimental work, and additional duty as instructor with the Organized Reserves of the Fifth Corps Area's 385th Bomb Squadron.

In 1931, after leaving the Army Air Corps and going to work for Shell Oil Corporation, he won the Bendix Trophy by flying from Burbank, California, to Cleveland, Ohio, establishing a new speed record. He crossed the country in 11 hours, 16 minutes and 10 seconds, beating the record set earlier that year by one hour and eight minutes.

In 1932, he won the Thompson Trophy race at Cleveland in a Granville Gee Bee R-1 racer, averaging 252 miles per hour (reaching a top speed of 406 mph), and established the world landplane speed record of 296 mph.

World War II and the Korean War

Jimmy Doolittle became a national hero and received the Congressional Medal of Honor for leading an aircraft carrier-based bomber raid on Tokyo, Japan, on April 18th, 1942. The "Doolittle Raid" was the first attack on Japan by the U.S. in World War II, and occurred just four months after the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor.

Following the Tokyo raid, Doolittle returned to Washington D.C. and was picked up in a staff car by Hap Arnold and Army Chief of Staff George Marshall. As the car headed downtown, Doolittle asked where they were going. The question was greeted with a stare from Marshall and Arnold’s grin. Doolittle broke the silence. “I think there’s something going on that I don’t know about. I’m not a very smart fellow and if it involves me I think somebody had better tell me so they won’t be embarrassed.”
“Jimmy,” Arnold said, “we’re on our way to the White House. The president is going to give you the Medal of Honor.”

After his heroic displays of courage over Tokyo, President Franklin D. Roosevelt promoted Doolittle from lieutenant colonel to brigadier general — skipping the rank of colonel. He was then assigned as the commanding general of the 12th Air Force in North Africa, the 15th Air Force in Italy, the Eighth Air Force in England and then on Okinawa during the Island hopping campaign. While in command, Doolittle was promoted to major general, then lieutenant general.

At the start of the Korean War in March 1951, Doolittle was appointed as special assistant to the Air Force chief of staff, in which he served as a civilian in scientific matters that led to Air Force ballistic missile and space programs.

Postwar service

Doolittle entered his postwar service as an advisor to the Air Force, such intelligence agencies as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and presidents. From 1955 until 1958 he served as chairman of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), advising the U.S. Air Force on future aviation and space technologies.

From 1955 until 1965, Doolittle also was a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, which evaluated intelligence operations. In 1958, he was offered the position of first administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which he declined.

Doolittle retired from Air Force duty February 28, 1959, then went on to become the chairman of the board of Space Technology Laboratories.

A legend in aviation

In 1985, although long retired from active duty, retired Lieutenant General James H. Doolittle became General James H. Doolittle, when President Reagan and Senator Goldwater pinned on the same four-star insignia that General George Patton had been given on the occasion of receiving his fourth star, more than 40 years earlier.

In addition to the nation's top award, Doolittle also received two Distinguished Service Medals, the Silver Star, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Bronze Star, four Air Medals, and decorations from Great Britain, France, Belgium, Poland, China, and Ecuador.

James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle passed away at the age of 97 on September 27th, 1993.

Hoover Dam Bypass and Bridge

2009-11-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

The New Hoover Dam Bypass – Wider View

Posted in Crazy Pictures, Picture Worth 1000 Words • Tags: Hoover Dam Bypass • Author: HART (1-800-HART)

call HART crazy .. but

AWESOME!

THE WIDER VIEW: Taking shape, the new bridge at the Hoover Dam

Creeping closer inch by inch, 900 feet above the mighty Colorado River, the two sides of a $160 million bridge at the Hoover Dam slowly takes shape.

The bridge will carry a new section of US Route 93 past the bottleneck of the old road which can be twisting and winding around and across the dam itself.

When complete, it will provide a new link between the states of Nevada and Arizona.

In an incredible feat of engineering, the road will be supported on the two massive concrete arches which jut out of the rock face.

The arches are made up of 53 individual sections each 24 feet long which have been cast on-site and are being lifted into place using an improvised high-wire crane strung between temporary steel pylons.

The arches will eventually measure more than 1,000 feet across. At the moment, the structure looks like a traditional suspension bridge. But once the arches are complete, the suspending cables on each side will be removed. Extra vertical columns will then be installed on the arches to carry the road.

The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge

The bridge has become known as the Hoover Dam bypass, although it is officially called the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, after a former governor of Nevada and an American Football player from Arizona who joined the US Army and was killed in Afghanistan. Work on the bridge started in 2005 and should finish next year. An estimated 17,000 cars and trucks will cross it every day.

The Hoover Dam

The dam was started in 1931 and used enough concrete to build a road from New York to San Francisco. The stretch of water it created, Lake Mead, is 110 miles long and took six years to fill. The original road was opened at the same time as the famous dam in 1936.

An extra note: The top of the white band of rock in Lake Mead is the old waterline prior to the drought and development in the Las Vegas area. It is over 100 feet above the current water level.

Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. When completed in 1936, it was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest concrete structure. It was surpassed in both these respects by the Grand Coulee Dam in 1945. It is currently the world's 35th-largest hydroelectric generating station.[4]
This dam, located 30 mi (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, is named after Herbert Hoover, who played an instrumental role in its construction, first as the Secretary of Commerce, and then later, as the President of the United States. Construction began in 1931, and was completed in 1936, more than two years ahead of schedule. The dam and the power plant are operated by the Bureau of Reclamation of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, Hoover Dam was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.[3][5]
Lake Mead is the reservoir created by the dam, named after Elwood Mead, who oversaw the construction of the dam.

The Incredible Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge Under Construction
Published by R J Evans
June 23, 2009, Category: Engineering
Announced in 2004, the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge has been five years under construction. Due to be completed in 2010, the bridge has slowly been taking shape. Here, with some amazing photographs is a record of this incredible bridge as it nears completion.
The people of Arizona and Nevada are patient folk. Since 1935 they have seen their local roads slowly but surely become more and more congested, most certainly at one particular point. The Hoover Dam. Since its inception it has been an important connection between the two states in terms of commerce and simply for the making the journey between the two considerably quicker. Let’s start with a money shot – even though you ain’t seen nothing yet.

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A 2008 shots gives the imagination something to work on. As the Hoover Dam became more and more popular with tourists the local roads began to get more congested than people could really put up with. Their solution? Harking back to the huddled masses days when America really was considered to be the land where everything was super-sized (and not just the fast food) the good citizens of Arizona and Nevada decided to build a bridge. Not just any old bridge though, this one would have the longest concrete arch in the US. The arch would ultimately be finished in August 2000 – and you can see it in its entirety here.

Read more in Engineering
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In 2007, the tower structures, these known as approach spans, are beginning to take shape. It is known, in the briefest of terms as the Hoover Dam bypass and this much is true. There will be seven approach spans all in all, two on the Arizona side and five on the Nevada side. The bridge is enormous, but its proximity to the dam is less than half a kilometer. The longer, more proper and formal name is the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. Perhaps it is already known as The Mike and Pat locally. O’Callaghan was the Governor of Nevada in the nineteen seventies as well as a veteran of the Korean War. Tillman is by far the more controversial choice. He gave up a millionaire lifestyle and superstar footballer status to serve in the US Army in Afghanistan where he was killed in 2004. His death has been subject to military investigations and more than the occasional conspiracy theory.

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Back to 2005 and the bridge is in its infancy. It has a way to go, even yet, in its construction, even though the most recent pictures see the span almost conquered by one of the most amazing engineering feats of our times. It will cost a pretty penny, of course; estimates have it at upwards of two hundred and fifty million dollars. Patience, however. Try and resist the urge to scroll down and take in the images, if you… too late.

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It won’t exactly be a slim bridge, either. It and the other new sections of Highway 93 will have two lanes going each way over its five hundred and seventy five meter span. It may not be an idea to look down either if you suffer from vertigo. The road itself will be a dizzying two hundred and fifty six meters above the Arizona River. Although people will still be able to park and walk across it (if they dare) drivers will not be able to see the Hoover Dam. It is too close and too below to be seen by them. The project suffered a serious setback in 2006 when four cranes collapsed. This caused a massive two year delay while the project recovered. It is now back on track and the next in this series of articles can be found here.

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At night, in 2008, the construction work seems like some vast drawbridge in to some dark post apocalyptic fortress. Behind it, the Hoover Dam. Iconic as the dam is, the bridge itself will become an important route between two equally iconic American cities, Phoenix in Arizona and Las Vegas in Nevada. Since the Dam’s completion both cities have seen their population sky rise (perhaps the bridge is a good metaphor for the burgeoning number of their citizens).

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By April of 2009 the bridge begins to look like a bridge – not to state the obvious. Suddenly, in the space of months a real shape begins to emerge. It looks as if plans are on schedule for the bridge to serve as the successor to the old road. Highway 93, which was as good as highways got back in 1935 is simply too old and, well, curvy to be adequate in this day and age for twenty first century traffic. Plus of course, it only has two lanes (that is counting both directions).

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A closer look at the arches gives the onlooker a greater impression of the sheer scale of the project. Take a look at the moveable platforms where brave people perform their duties each day. A certain day in the September of 2001 made things worse for those who rely on the original road across the dam as a transport link. After the air attacks on the American mainland, no trucks have been allowed over the dam for fear they could be packed with high explosive. Instead the trucks have been sent south to a crossing near Laughlin (on the Nevada side). More disruptions, albeit for a very good security reasons. When you figure that there will be almost twenty thousand cars and trucks using the new bridge every day the enormous costs – and the security concerns – begin to make a lot of sense.

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Let us take to the air to see the bridge from a real vantage point and ponder the simply awesome highlights of the project. To begin with it will eventually take the removal and embankment of over three and a half million cubic yards of earth. The bridge itself will be made from two hundred and forty three million tons of concrete. The steel used to reinforce the concrete would, if put on a set of scales, weigh sixteen million pounds (some set of scales!). Plus it has brought many, many jobs in to the area, with over twelve hundred people being involved in its construction.

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June 9, 2009 and the arch edges even closer to completion. The arch is more than fifty percent complete and it is hoped that the two sides will meet in the Fall of this year. Below, even more recent on June 18. What kind of party will be held on the day the two parts of the arch meet is anyone’s guess, but it is likely to be the biggest since the end of Prohibition. It can only be hoped that none of the revellers gets too tipsy and ends in the Arizona River.

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It is hoped that the bridge will be complete some time in 2010. When it is complete it will look like something out of the space age (oh, shucks, yes, that’s our era after all). The impression below, with no disrespect to the artist (but one suspects he once worked for Gerry Anderson), gives away little of the grandeur and majesty that the final, finished bridge will possess in (millions of) tons.

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The next in this series of articles, which covers July – October 2009 – when the arch becomes free standing can be found HERE.