Congresswoman Gabby Giffords has announced that she will resign her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives this week. Her recovery from a gunshot a year ago has caused her to miss 98 percent of the 814 votes in the 112th Congress, according to the New York Times. Few members of the House or Senate make such a decision. In fact, history demonstrates that they will remain in Congress despite being physically incapable of attending or running for another office.

While Gabby Giffords tops the Times’s list of most frequent House absentees, two members running for President are second and third. Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul have each missed over 30 percent of the votes while campaigning.

Examining the Times’s House absenteeism list from October, eighteen members of Congress missed 10 percent or more of the votes. Six were due to the illness of the member. Congressman Bobby Rush of Illinois missed 10.7 percent of the votes for “Constituent work”. NY congresswoman Louise Slaughter missed 10.2 percent of the voters for “Family events”. A spokesman for Don Young of Alaska told the Times that Washington, D,C. is a ten thousand mile round trip. Young has missed 16.2 percent of the votes.

The law is very specific when it comes to absences from the House. Only the illness of a member or in the member’s family is an allowable excuse. Tile 2, chapter 3, section 39 of the U.S. Code permits the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House to deduct pay from members for having been absent other than for the two illness exceptions. The law is not enforced and no member of Congress in recent memory has had their pay reduced for being absent.

Congresswoman Giffords’s resignation will allow the people of her Arizona district to elect someone who can attend the sessions of the House and House committee meetings. Her action is laudatory. It is fair to her constituents who need a representative in Washington and fair to the American taxpayers who pay the salary of every member of Congress.

Newt Gingrich is correct. The Palestinians were invented as a nation.

So what? There are a great many invented nations in the world today. No one suggests that Timor is “invented” or that the bloody Congo is “invented”.

History will not change the present. Israel has to deal with the Palestinians in 2011, no matter who they were in 1948 or 1917 or 800 AD. The harsh reality that everyone resists is that you ALWAYS have to deal with things as they are, and not with things the way you wish they would be.

Obama has muddied the waters in the Middle East very badly. Rick Perry said it best in last night’s debate. “This president is the problem, not something Newt Gingrich said.”

Our priority as a nation should be the support of Israel. They may make mistakes and we can deal with those as allies do, not with public condemnation and petty wrist slapping. No other nation in the Middle East ought to be closer to the United States as Israel.

But, and it is a big but, only Israel and the people who call themselves Palestinians can solve their issues in the end. We can support a process but they are the ones who will have to live with each other. Only those two parties can agree upon a solution that both can support. Our meddling helps nothing.

On the morning of September 12, 1814, a British force of 9,000 men landed at North Point, Maryland, with the intention of marching inland and capturing Baltimore. Brig. Gen. John Stricker, commander of the 3d Brigade of the Maryland militia, was ordered to delay the British advance so that the defensive entrenchments around the city could be completed. The 5th Regiment was assigned the task of holding the American right flank. Despite two hours of artillery and rocket fire, the 5th Maryland stood their ground. After inflicting some 300 casualties, the 5th was ordered to fall back to a new position in front of the Baltimore trenches. The British army, exhausted by the fighting and surprised by the stubborn defense of the Maryland militia, withdrew, while the British navy failed to silence the guns of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. Thwarted on land and sea the British force sailed away

On land and at sea, the United States and Great Britain struggled for three years in a war that many historians see as the final chapter of the American Revolution. From 1812 to 1815, the U.S. Navy was on the front lines worldwide as it fought the Royal Navy. At home, Canada and the U.S. were both battlegrounds as capitals burned and the tides of war flowed back and forth. The War of 1812 settled the issue, once and for all, of America’s relationship with Great Britain and established the new nation as quite thoroughly independent.

The approaching bicentennial of the War of 1812 is being commemorated by the United States and Canada in a series of events to be held all along the East Coast, through the Great Lakes and down in New Orleans. The U.S. Navy sees these events as a way to highlight the events of the time and to also feature the modern Navy with its current missions and capabilities.

The first event on the 1812 calendar is a visit to the last battlefield of the war, New Orleans. From January 6-8, 2012, the National Parks Service will remember the 197th anniversary of the battle immortalized by singer Johnny Horton.

As events are developed, they will appear on the Official War of 1812 Bicentennial website. The Navy has assisted in the development of an online game titled A Sailor’s Life for Me! which allows the player to experience the life and times of a sailor in 1812.

]]> http://northshorejournal.org/200-years-after-the-war-of-1812/feed 2 http://northshorejournal.org/why-daylight http://northshorejournal.org/why-daylight#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:17:43 +0000 Chuck Simmins http://northshorejournal.org/?p=18772

Did you ever wonder why you wake up in the morning? OK, put down the anti-depressants and think about it. How many animals do you see active in the daylight hours? What made humans creatures of the daylight?

Back when we were just oddly behaving monkeys, we noticed something. Lions and tigers and bears all prowled for food just before and just after sunrise and sunset. They napped during the day.

Those of us who waited until daylight to do our foraging got eaten far less often. Eventually it became ingrained, whether genetic or just deeply instinctual. I don’t know which.

As I visit my Keurig for my third cup of coffee, I need fear no lions, tigers or bears. That, my friends, is a good thing.

Keurig single cup brewers

]]> http://northshorejournal.org/why-daylight/feed 0 http://northshorejournal.org/are-moammar-gadhafis-missiles-really-missing http://northshorejournal.org/are-moammar-gadhafis-missiles-really-missing#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:05:05 +0000 Chuck Simmins http://northshorejournal.org/?p=18617

SA-16. Click on the image for more information.

Since April 2011 the group Human Rights Watch has been warning about the dangers of unsecured munitions in Libya. Those complaints were renewed in recent news articles after HRW took reporters to munitions sites they believe had been looted. The Daily Caller and AFP both are reporting that up to 20,000 man-portable surface to air missiles have disappeared from Libyan military warehouses. Are those missiles missing or did they never exist?

There is some confusion in the various reports over just what types of missiles are missing. Moammar Gadhafi’s security forces are believed to have supplies of the SA-7 and SA-16 portable anti-aircraft systems as well as the SA-24 vehicle launched system. All three are Russian built and exported. The Russians have told Aviation Week that the SA-24 systems sold the Libyans lack the man-portable components needed and can only be vehicle fired.

The civil war in Libya continues with forces loyal to former leader Moammar Gadhafi holding out in a few cities. Most of the nation has now been taken by various forces from the National Transitional Council (NTC). The loose nature of the rebel organization has hampered resumption of governmental services in the areas that they control, and has allowed looting of governmental facilities to occur almost without interruption. Lots of munitions have disappeared and this is how the missiles are supposed to have vanished. All that was left was paperwork and empty crates.

Some of the looting has been done by forces aligned with the NTC. Both official and unofficial NTC units have little logistics capability and the NTC has been unable to organize an effective supply system. Humanitarian assistance is being provided to much of the civilian population through a number of aid charities but they do not supply armed groups.

If the Libyan military had access to so many weapons, why were they not used? One answer could be that the 20,000 number cited by HRW and others is grossly exaggerated. There is a clear risk of looted munitions, including these missiles, being transferred to terrorist groups. What is unclear is just what is missing.

As I lay in bed last night waiting to fall asleep, I began thinking about how we name various nationalities in English. I wondered if there were any rules to the process and though that I might derive one or more rules by example.

British, Irish, Scottish, Cornish but not Welish. Spanish but not Portugish.

Swedish, Finnish, Danish but not Norwegish.

Mexican, Cuban, Honduran but Brazilian, Canadian, Panamanian and Argentinian. An versus ian.

Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese but not Koreanese.

Afghani, Pakistani, Nepali and Bangladeshi but not Indiani or Sri Lankani.

Dutch is not related to the nation’s name. Greek and Turk are close. Anyone want to be a Luxembourger? Or a Cretan? OK, let’s all agree that the name for a citizen of Monaco is just stupid – Monégasque.

And, the newest nation in the world took the easy way out. They are South Sudanese, not to be confused with Sudanese.

Rules for naming nationalities? We don’t need no steekin’ rules.

While trying to fall asleep last night, I spent some time thinking about doing a piece on tools for household use. I’m no handyman but I have worked with most of the common tools and been injured by many of them, as well. My thoughts, though, kept drifting back to that king of tools, the ball peen hammer.

There are a lot of hammers. Claw hammers come in their own shapes and sizes. Each has a specific use. Sledge hammers and rubber mallets also have their uses. None serve perfects for the main use for a hammer in the home, banging on something until it works or it breaks.

The perfect hammer is easy to hold, metal and fairly unbreakable and small enough to fit into some tight spaces. Hence my love of the ball peen hammer.

For those of use that lack the knack of handiness, much of our work around the house results in a less than perfect outcome that must be adjusted. That means banging on the object in question until

1. It fits
2. It’s bent enough
3. It’s busted off

The larger the hammer, the more likely that the first bang may be too much and more damage will have been done or a worse mess created. You want a hammer that requires a few taps or full blown bangs to achieve the intended purpose. Better to get there in three attempts than to miss in one.

I don’t know how to properly use a ball peen hammer. I use it as a hammer. Heck, I’ve found that screwdrivers make perfectly good wedges or chisels so don’t expect me to be keen on the peen.

You can use a ball peen hammer with a wrench, to all just enough force by banging the wrench to force that rusty nut to give. The handle is usually made of strong wood, and that allow the ball peen hammer to make a great lever in a tight space. If you can’t fix the problem by banging on it, you might be able to lever it into place.

So, when the kids turn 18 and are looking for that great graduation gift, give them a ball peen hammer of their very own. It will be the best gift you could ever give them although they may be in their forties before they recognize that fact.

President Barack Obama gave a major foreign policy address at the U.S. State Department on May 19. The topic was America’s future relationship with the people and the nations of the Middle East and North Africa. President Obama laid out a series of core principles by which future policy will be guided.

As part of the speech, perhaps the most controversial portion, Obama discussed a new approach to the Palestinian issue. He describes the status quo as “unsustainable”. At several point in his speech, the President referred to the “occupation” of Palestinian lands. He spoke out for a peace settlement based upon Israel’s return to its borders in 1967 and Palestinian agreement recognizing Israeli right to exist and peace with Israel. He acknowledged that Israelis have a right to mistrust the Palestinians as long as their security continues to be threatened.

It does appear that all sides must overcome the resort to history and face the facts on the ground today. There is a Palestinian state. It will not go away. It is in the economic and security interest of both the Israelis and the Palestinians to work together.

In the earliest history of the current state of Israel, extremist groups had to be suppressed by the Jewish majority. The Stern Gang and the Irgun were outlawed, and some of the leaders jailed. The Palestinians face the same conditions as they try to form a viable state.

Israel has also faced the social stress of immigrants from many differing lands and cultures, Ethiopian, Yemeni, French, Polish and Russians Jews and more have emigrated to Israel. Some were socialists, some were religious zealots, some were illiterate and others had multiple degrees. Palestine will face similar stresses if emigration is allowed from Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza and other areas where refugees have been kept in camps by Arab governments for the last 60 years.

Both Israel and the Palestinians are the recipients of billions of dollars in aid. Interests in both nations are heavily vested in the continuation of that aid. Much of the aid given to the nations of the Middle East, Israel included, might be viewed as bribes to keep the peace. President Obama proposes no changes in this. Indeed, he proposes even more assistance to Egypt and Tunisia.

The gist of the President’s address is this: His administration will espouse a set of values that we do not typically see in the Middle East and North Africa. The United States will increase assistance in the region by billions of dollars in an effort to increase the popularity of and belief in those values. He hopes that all nations in the region, along with the Israelis and the Palestinians, will recognize the value to their people of these core principles.

Upstate New York resident Charles Simmins brings 30 years of accounting and finance experience and a keen interest in military affairs to the news of the day. His years of experience working with the personnel of the Secretary of Defense’s New Media activity on Bloggers’ Roundtables provide insights often overlooked by other reporters.

Just a few thoughts about the nit picking of the raid to get Osama or Usama bin Laden.

1. Release all the photos possible. Let each media outlet decide what to show. Our troops are in combat. How much more danger can they be in?
2. Bury him any old way. We, as a culture and as individuals, owe his body no particular respect. Abusing the body would be immoral but beyond that we had no further obligation.
3. OK, Obama did good. Let’s give him a little credit. Not a lot, but he is due some.
4. The Obama gang that can’t shoot straight has thoroughly mucked up the aftermath of the raid. Misinformation, lack of apparent planning and just plain stupidity.
5. Obama and crew watched live. Why? To quarterback the op from ten thousand miles away? Or just out of vanity?
6. That pic of everyone watching the live feed of the raid. Anyone else think it looks like they are in a large closet. Wouldn’t you think that the USA could provide a large conference room for this sort of thing, big screen TV and stuff?
7. And doesn’t Hillary Clinton look horrified? Planning for a future statement if things went in the shitter?
8. I agree with others who have noted the complete lack of military briefers on this raid. Makes you wonder if Obama and the Chicago Mafia parachuted into Pakistan and not the SEALS.

About four p.m the power went out. It would stay out for the next eight hours and my wife and I would have to cope. As emergencies go, it was a small one. It did succeed in pointing our our lack of preparedness.

High winds due to a cold front coming into Rochester caused the outage. For the first three hours or so, it was just inconvenient but at nightfall it became a little more serious. We did not have enough emergency light sources. There were two battery powered “lanterns” and one working flashlight in the house. There was enough light to navigate to the restroom and the telephone, but only just enough.

The house was warm enough, luckily. The cats’ food cans opened with pull tabs so they could be fed. The two people in the house were less fortunate. Other than some snacks, all the food required a microwave to prepare. Plus, we did not want to open the freezer or the refrigerator and allow the food inside more of a chance to warm.

Being prepared for an emergency is vital. Most state and national agencies advise you to plan for a three day wait for outside help in a large disaster. The recent tsunami in Japan showed us quite clearly that sometimes you may be on your own for days.

After the events of September 11, the U.S. government created a website to help all of us prepare for emergencies. Ready.gov is a one-stop source for all kinds of information on the topic. The Centers for Disease Control also have a website that provides equally valuable information.

The advice from the experts? Put together an emergency kit. Make an emergency plan. Keep informed of what is going on in your community.

We are going to make a few changes. The obvious one is to buy more flashlights and battery lanterns, as well as batteries and bulbs. Since my wife and I both have medically related dietary issues, we are going to put together a stock of foods that do not need cooking, have a long shelf life and that meet our dietary needs.

I am also going to put together a “sump kit”. Since our sump pump will not work in a blackout, it has been necessary on occasion to bail the sump to prevent our basement from becoming flooded. Rather than scurry around in a blackout to find what I need, I am going to gather it all up and keep it right at the sump.

Our telephone worked, but only because I had bought one phone that did not need power to operate. The cordless phones were useless. And, my cellphone barely had a charge. Keeping that charged is now a part of our plan.

Are you prepared for the next emergency, minor or major? The resources are available for free from the Federal Government. You just need to take the time and put some thought into the effort to prepare.

Nothing will change without you voting. If you cannot vote for a candidate, then vote against one. Remember that Americans don’t elect politicians for life so voting out an incumbent is always a good idea.

Our picks:
Governor – Carl Paladino (R) (and we ARE holding our nose)
Lt. Governor – Robert Duffy (D)
Comptroller – Harry Wilson (R)
Attorney General – Dan Donovan (R)
Senate 2 yr term – Joseph DioGuardi (R)
Senate 6 year term – Jay Townsend (R) (oust entrenched incumbent)
Congress 28th district – Jill Rowland (R) (oust entrenched incumbent)
State Senate – Mary Wilmot (D) (oust entrenched incumbent)
State Assembly – Mark Scuderi (R) (oust entrenched incumbent)

On the BACK of the ballot – vote NO on all propositions

The word “gerrymander” means

to divide (a territorial unit) into election districts to give one political party an electoral majority in a large number of districts while concentrating the voting strength of the opposition in as few districts as possible

according to the Merriam Webster dictionary. New York’s 28th Congressional District was carefully crafted to illustrate that definition. Actually, it was crafted to ensure that the inner cities of Buffalo and Rochester would always be able to elect a liberal Democrat.

New York's gerrymandered 28th Congressional District

The current occupant of this Democratic seat for life is Louise Slaughter. We have criticized Louise in the past for her ultra-liberal views and anti-military stances. And, for the fact that she retains her Texas accent after have been an area resident for decades.

The New York Republican Party routinely offers sacrificial lambs for Louise to slaughter in each Congressional election. We’re hoping that the current candidate can do much better.

Jill Rowland is a practicing dentist, wife and mother. Her name will be appearing on both the Republican and Conservative Party lines on November 2.

Jill Rowland - Click image for more information.

Jill Rowland for Congress

Twitter: @JillforCongress
Facebook: Jill Rowland
Website: http://jillrowland.com/

Exelon has completed its $60 million solar panel project that began operation in December at 1201 W. 120th St. photo credti: John J. Kim/Sun-Times

The Chicago Sun-Times has a great article on a new use for an old industrial site – a solar power farm.

As Exelon celebrated completion of the nation’s largest urban solar-power plant, the next-door neighbors in West Pullman celebrated a new life for a former polluted industrial site.

The plant began operating in December, with all 32,292 panels tested and in service in March, and final site work just completed. [snip]

The former International Harvester property — now the solar plant — had become an eyesore, a health hazard and a dumping ground for other communities’ old tires and other debris.

Most cities in the Northeast and Midwest have these sites. They are multi-acre collections of decaying buildings, trash and the occasional hazardous material dump. The buildings would require millions of dollars in renovations and upgrades just to be attractive to a buyer or renter. This is a great solution, and one with little overhead.

This site is 41 acres. It will generate 14K megawatts of power. The cost was about $60 million. I’m sure all the appropriate tax credits and such will be utilized. Regardless of the level of government support, it represents a clever use of the site.

F-35 C variant

As the United States civilian military establishment bumbles its way to a new jet fighter, the various important components from subcontractors are in play as well. The Pentagon and Congress seem determined, as usual, to build a state of the art aircraft that uses twenty year old technology and is built in select Congressional districts rather than by the best and most efficient suppliers.

The recognized world leaders in jet engine design and production are GE and Rolls Royce. They are teamed up to produce the F136 engine here in the United States. The competition is Pratt & Whitney.

F136 Engine GE afterburner testing

This engine has been in development since 1996, when Congress first funded research into the engine. Providing competition for the Joint Strike Fighter(JSF) engine was the reason given. At this point, the F126 line has produced four engines with the latest due to be tested by the Air Force in the next few weeks. The third engine is currently being tested at the US Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Center, in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Here’s a little about the JSF, F-35, project:

Following an intense four-year competition, the U.S. Department of Defense on 26 October 2001, named the Lockheed Martin lead Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) team as the winner of the contract to develop the F-35 JSF. The F-35 team immediately entered the program’s 10-year System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase.

The SDD period involves the development and testing of the entire aircraft system, including its manufacture. During SDD, the team will build a total of 22 test aircraft. Fourteen will undergo flight-testing, seven will be used for non-airborne test activities, and one will be used to evaluate the F-35’s radar signature.

Nine nations are partnering in the F-35’s SDD phase: The United States, United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Australia. Partnership in SDD entitles those countries to bid for work on a best value basis, and participate in the aircraft’s development. Additionally, Israel and Singapore have agreed to join the program as a Security Cooperation Participants.

Lockheed Martin is the F-35 prime contractor, while Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems are principal partners in the project.

Final assembly of the F-35 will take place at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas. Northrop Grumman Corporation in Palmdale and El Segundo, California will manufacture the center-fuselage, and the aft fuselage and tails will be manufactured by BAE Systems in Samlesbury, England. Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth will manufacture the forward fuselage and wings.

Flight-testing will be conducted at Fort Worth, Edwards Air Force Base, and Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Additionally, the STOVL and CV variants will undergo sea trials aboard American, British and Italian aircraft carriers.

The F-35 remains captive to politics and economics. GE makes a persuasive case that competition will improve the final product and low final cost to the taxpayer.

After about 25 years working for non-profits or not-for-profits, I have some useful observations about how to do manage them well and how to help them succeed. Follow the links.

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS

• Similarities between nonprofit and for-profit businesses
• How to avoid common nonprofit mistakes
• Reasons non-profit leaders fail
• How to write a nonprofit mission statement
• How to get the board of directors to play a hands-on role in your nonprofit

HANDLING VOLUNTEERS

• The skills required for leading volunteers
• How to more effectively recruit volunteers
• Saying no to a potential volunteer

OTHER

• Fresh ideas for fundraising
• The value of volunteering

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