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Paint Plan Measures Power Pulled
CAMP FOSTER, Japan — The Facilities Engineer Environmental Branch is testing a new experimental paint on several buildings in an effort to reduce energy costs. The idea for the project was conceived by Leslie B. Smith, support section supervisor at the environmental branch, in response to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which mandates all government buildings become more energy efficient. The paint, manufactured by Specialty Concrete Design Incorporated, is designed to better insulate and reduce heat transfer. The painting began Jan. 12, after about a year of planning and funding requests. The test subjects are buildings 470, 472 and 473. Building 473’s roof was coated with the paint, while building 470’s external sides were painted from the ground up. Building 472 was not painted and will serve as the constant … Read entire article »
Filed under: Marines, Military, Military alternative energy, Tech
Adult Stems Cells Show Promise for MS
Between January, 2003, and February, 2005, 21 patients were treated. Engraftment of white blood cells and platelets was on median day 9 (range day 8—11) and patients were discharged from hospital on mean day 11 (range day 8—13). One patient had diarrhoea due to Clostridium difficile and two patients had dermatomal zoster. Two of the 17 patients receiving alemtuzumab developed late immune thrombocytopenic purpura that remitted with standard therapy. 17 of 21 patients (81%) improved by at least 1 point on the Kurtzke expanded disability status scale (EDSS), and five patients (24%) relapsed but achieved remission after further immunosuppression. After a mean of 37 months (range 24—48 months), all patients were free from progression (no deterioration in EDSS score), and 16 were free of relapses. Significant improvements were noted in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Medicine
Provincial Elections in Iraq
The issue of provincial elections have been a nagging one for the Iraqi government. They have been delayed as the national government work out the process and dealt with the various factions and their complaints. Tomorrow, January 31, 2009, provincial elections will be held throughout Iraq. This election will see the first large Sunni participation and it is the first election where security is the responsibility of the Iraqi forces. Some Iraqis have already voted. The Army and Police voted early so that they would be available and not distracted on the 31st. Detainees under U.S. control have also voted. Iraqis Prepare to Vote in Jan. 31 Provincial Elections Iraqis of all backgrounds are preparing to vote during their country’s first election since 2005, a senior Defense Department official said today. More than 15 million … Read entire article »
Filed under: Iraq, Politics, Rebuilding, War on Terror
Yar! There Be Pirates!
Today’s Bloggers’ Roundtable was with Rear Adm. Terry McKnight, Expeditionary Strike Group 2/Commander, Task Force 51/59/151. TF 151 is tasked with anti-piracy duties in the Gulf of Aden. TF 151 currently consists of three ships, the USS San Antonio, the USS Mahan, and the HMS Portland. It is protecting a safe transit corridor in the Gulf of Aden that civilian vessels are strongly urged to use as an effort to limit access by the pirates to shipping. The AOR is about 1.1 million square miles of sea. This task force has several helicopters, the boats carried by the San Antonio, a Marine contingent, Coast Guard as well as other personnel trained in boarding and search duties. A Fleet Surgical Team is also embarked. In total, at this time, there are 20 ships from … Read entire article »
Filed under: Military
Twin Sisters Bridge Gap Between Divisions
Like any other sibling rivalry, Brenda and Belinda might fight about anything – from hobbies, to clothes, and even answering the same question can send them into a fuss. But where their opinions differ, their appearance and shared work ethic make up for in similarities. As twin sisters, both Brenda and Belinda Trevillion have spent most of their 25 years together. From going off to college to ROTC and into the Army, their goals and accomplishments both define and illustrate their dynamic bond. Currently, Brenda is serving as the protocol officer for the secretary general staff, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. And just as her tour is coming to an end, her twin sister, Belinda, also a protocol officer assigned to the 1st Cavalry Div., is training with her as … Read entire article »
Filed under: Military, Our Best: Military Women
Digging Up the Unexpected
Sometimes when you poke around in the soil of Iraq, you find 3,000 year old antiques. Sometimes you find bugs. And some times you find things like this. An Airman with the important job of pest control on Sather Airfield at Camp Liberty, Iraq, was out looking for pesky creatures. He came across a jackal hole and began prodding around to discover the pest, but found something much more interesting. Airman 1st Class Thomas Burns, a Spencerport, N.Y., native and member of the 447th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, found an object protruding from the hole that turned out to be the tread of a tank, still attached to the rest of the tank, completely buried in the ground. He notified his supervisor, and they immediately realized that this piece of tread had … Read entire article »
Filed under: Military
The River No Longer Divides
Links, transportation or cultural, are important to a society. In the Third World a river can divide in a way we don’t see in the West. When it takes miles to go to reach the other side, many people won’t bother. So it is in life, and was at this one village in Iraq. Until now. For many years, the village of Bushariyah has been divided by nature, with Sunni Arabs on one side of the river and Turkmen families on the other. Bushariyah locals held an opening ceremony for a newly built culvert in Kirkuk province, Iraq, Jan. 26. “The culvert now connects the Sunni Arabs and the Turkmen who live within the village,†said Capt. Marlen Ramirez, team leader, Detachment 1, B Company, 490th Civil Affairs Battalion. A culvert is like a … Read entire article »
Filed under: Iraq, Rebuilding, War on Terror
Coming Soon: Future Posts
- Declaration of War 1812 (in 132 days)
- USS President vs HMS Belvidera (in 137 days)
- General Hull Invades Canada (in 156 days)
- First Battle of Sacketts Harbor (in 163 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
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Morning Musings January 31, 2009
January 31st, 2009 | Comments Off
I haven’t done this in a long while, but here goes: The Iraqis are well in to voting in provincial elections as I write this. I’ve noticed one thing about the Iraqis. They like to vote. Unlike Americans, where voting is next to jury duty as a detested task for many people, the Iraqis are overjoyed to exercise their new freedom. Can we bottle some of that and ship it over here? The gal who just had octuplets and already has 6. No dad around. I’m thinking she’s like those crazy cat ladies, only with kids. Child Services ought to take a long, hard look at her and her children’s care. Super Bowl something is Sunday. Cardinals and Steelers. Ho hum. There are a number of conclusions you can draw about the recent problems … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Original writing