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Marines: Pfc. Bryan J. Nagel
DefendAmerica By Marine Corps Cpl. Tom Sloan 2nd Marine DivisionAR RAMADI, Iraq, April 28, 2005 ‘ Insurgents launched an attack against one of 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment’s observation posts in the city here the evening of April 20 but they didn’t count on one Marine: Pfc. Bryan J. Nagel. While receiving sporadic enemy fire, the native of Jamestown, N. D., stood his ground and took out a suicide truck bomb and fought off an insurgent attack, preventing major property damage and casualties to the Marines and civilians in the area. The 20-year-old squad automatic weapon gunner with 2nd Squad, 2nd Platoon, Company B, was responsible for thwarting the attack and preventing a potential disaster that day, according to his company first sergeant, 1st … Read entire article »
Filed under: Heroes, Iraq, Marines, Military, War on Terror
Musings: Nothing At All
Nothing is catching my interest. Nothing. Social Security? Yawn. The Airbus? Yawn. Paris Hilton in bondage? Yawn. Tune in later. Perhaps a spark shall ignite some passion in me. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Original writing
Iraq: Progress Report 4-27-2005
Weekly Update [PDF] The Ministry of Electricity met with Turkey and Syria to discuss additional electricity imports for the summer and beyond. An agreement with Turkey was previously reached to supply $50 million in imported electricity. After talks with the main opposition Social Democrats on April 20, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen expected broad political backing for a new six-month mandate to keep troops in Iraq. Denmark has some 500 troops serving with the Multi-National Forces in Iraq;the present mandate expires at the end of June. PCO has completed 457 schools renovations to date and a further 253 are under construction. Under the Accelerated Iraq Reconstruction Program (AIRP), an additional 24 school renovations have been completed and 16 are underway.’840 schools are scheduled for completion by mid-2005. Construction is underway on 142 new … Read entire article »
Filed under: Iraq, Rebuilding, War on Terror
Iraq: al-Zarqawi
From commenter Mike Kozlowski at Rantburg: You cannot sleep in one place for more than one night – and maybe not even for an entire night. You cannot fully trust ANYONE. You cannot be sure your most privleged communications are not being listened to. You cannot be sure that the black dot that swept across the sky is a bird – or an RPV. You cannot be sure that the cries down the street are those of children playing or merchants haggling – or of your sentries losing their last battle. Your dreams are filled with hatred and murder – and fear that the next thing you see will be the grim face of a boy who once surfed in California, or skateboarded in Chicago, or walked the Hood in Cleveland – or put on his … Read entire article »
Filed under: Blogging, Iraq, Other Bloggers, War on Terror
News: Finn Fingered, Finished Finagling
BBC Finnish police are investigating a man suspected of sexually abusing 445 boys in Thailand over a 15-year period. The unnamed man was arrested as he flew into Finland in January. Police said they had found diary entries detailing the man’s sexual partners, who are all thought to be male prostitutes between 10 and 13. No charges have yet been brought, but the man could face 10 years in jail if he is found guilty of sexually abusing the children. Detective Chief Inspector Mika Ihaksinen said the case was Finland’s biggest ever, in terms of the number of victims. The man, who is in his early 40s, is thought to have made up to 26 trips to Thailand since 1989. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Odd News, Other Countries, Sex
Iraq: News Summary for Mid April
MNF Iraq Multi-National Force-Iraq reports Iraqi citizens increasingly provide information to aid in eliminating terrorists from Iraq. ‘Despite some high-profile enemy attacks this week, the Coalition continued to strengthen its partnership with its Iraqi counterparts,’ said Col. Brian Stephenson, Multinational Corps-Iraq chief of operations. ‘The Iraqi Government and its Security Forces demonstrated their initiative to lead the counter-insurgency fight by conducting a raid on the Anti-Iraqi Force held in the Baghdad suburb of Salman Pak and re-establishing the police station and permanent police presence.’ In the past week citizen tips aided coalition forces in uncovering four major weapons caches. The caches contained more than 2.5 million anti-aircraft rounds, 900 mortar rounds, two 250-pound Russian made bombs, 75 anti-tank mines and 225 pounds of TNT, as well as hundreds of hand grenades, rocket propelled grenades, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Iraq, Military, War on Terror
Oil Refining
Energy Information Administration The United States experienced a steep decline in refining capacity between 1981 and the mid-1990s. Between 1981 and 1989, the number of U.S. refineries fell from 324 to 204, representing a loss of 3 million bbl/d in operable capacity (from 18.6 million bbl/d to 15.7 million bbl/d), while refining capacity utilization increased from 69% to 87%. Much of the decline in U.S. refining capacity resulted from the 1981 deregulation (elimination of price controls and allocations), which effectively removed the major prop from underneath many marginally profitable, often smaller, refineries. Refinery closures have continued since 1989, bringing the total number of operable U.S. refineries to 149 in 2003. In general, refineries that have closed have been relatively small and have had less favorable economics than other refineries in their market … Read entire article »
Filed under: American Economy
Musings: Variations on a Theme
So, when you install a Pope, what kind of tools do you need? Are there kits, like at Home Depot? If you install an American Pope, do you need to use an adapter? Why would you name the Pope Benedryl the 16th anyway? What do you suppose the first spam the Pope got on his new e-mail was? Viagara or a new friend in Nigeria? … Read entire article »
Filed under: Catholic Church, Mocking, Original writing, Religion, Satire
Coming Soon: Future Posts
- Declaration of War 1812 (in 135 days)
- USS President vs HMS Belvidera (in 140 days)
- General Hull Invades Canada (in 159 days)
- First Battle of Sacketts Harbor (in 166 days)
On Y!CN
- Radioactive Gravel from Japanese Nuke Disaster Used in Buildings
- Fuel Supplies Reach Nome
- Fuel Convoy Reaches Nome
- Russians Sail to Rescue of Ice Bound Alaska Community
- Pope Embraces Anglicans in U.S. with New Ordinariate
- Nebraska Nuke Plant Placed on Special Inspection Status
- Radioactive Water Leaks at Japanese Nuke Site
- Japan Damaged Nuke Plants Still Not Under Control
Social Links
Disease: WHO On The Job?
April 26th, 2005 | Comments Off
For those of us who give a rat’s ass, the World Health Organization is proving to be a deucedly poor source of information about the Marburg outbreak in Angola and the Avian Flu outbreak in Asia. The last report up on their site for Marburg is dated April 22 with information through April 20. The Avian Flu information is older still, from April 14. In addition, a report dated April 25 reports the detection of polio in Yemen on April 20. I’m willing to assume that the CDC and other national health agencies have more current information, but given the WHO’s lackluster performance in the SARS epidemic, I could also believe the opposite is the case. In the information age, there is no excuse for the lack of current information. Any of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Medicine, Original writing