Eight Sailors aboard the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) were injured this afternoon when an arresting gear parted during a routine landing by an E-2C Hawkeye aircraft.
There were no fatalities and the Sailors are listed in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. The injured Sailors were working on the flight deck at the time of the mishap. Six have been transported to Norfolk Sentara General Hospital for treatment. Two remain aboard IKE.
The aircraft regained flight and returned safely to its base at Norfolk Naval Station Chambers Field. Initial reports are the aircraft was not damaged and no aircrew members were injured.
The ship is off the Virginia coast conducting carrier qualifications for Composite Training Unit and Joint Task Force Exercises (COMPTUEX/JTFEX) in preparation for their upcoming deployment.
An investigation is underway to determine the cause.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/19/2016 00:00 ||
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Was it the arresting gear from the plane or the arresting wire? Either way, those guys are lucky to be alive. The thought of part of an arresting gear flying toward you at 100+ mph causes a real pucker factor.
An emerald-green comet will brush the Earth Monday, followed one day later by a kissing cousin that will swerve closer to the planet than any other comet in nearly 250 years.
The first and bigger of the two comets will be visible Monday to the naked eye in the southern hemisphere, as long as city lights are far away. Stargazers in the United States will probably need only binoculars to see the bigger comet in late March. Scientists, however, are bringing out the big guns. The Hubble Space Telescope, the powerful ground-based Gemini telescopes and others will be trained on the celestial visitors, which will provide an extraordinary close-up of objects usually glimpsed only at a distance.
"This is one for the record books," says Michael Kelley of the University of Maryland, who’s never heard of two comets approaching close to Earth a day apart. "It’s a fantastic opportunity for professionals to learn more about comets, and if you have a chance to try to find them ... it’s a fantastic chance to see part of history as it happens."
The first member of the pair, known as comet 252P/LINEAR, is a bright green color from the carbon gas it’s puffing out, says the University of Maryland’s Matthew Knight. 252P will slide past Earth at a distance of roughly 3 million miles. That’s well beyond the moon but near enough to put 252P in the top 10 of closest-approaching comets.
252P wasn’t expected to get terribly bright, but it has been "surpassing all expectations," says amateur comet-hunter Michael Mattiazzo of Australia. It may even be visible to the unaided eye in southern hemisphere suburbs where light pollution is low.
Astronomers discovered the trailing member of the pair, P/2016 BA14, a few months ago. It was shrugged off as yet another asteroid, or space rock. Then astronomers peering through a telescope saw it had a tail -- and was therefore a comet. That means BA14 and its larger companion "are among the closest comets to pass by Earth in recorded history," says Knight, who took the first snapshot revealing BA14 is a comet. The only comet known to have skimmed past us at a smaller distance was Lexell’s Comet in 1770.
Scientists aren’t yet sure of the nature of the relationship between 252P and its hanger-on. Perhaps BA14 broke off 252P decades ago. Both comets could be pieces from an even bigger comet, or they could be unrelated. If the upcoming studies show they’re family, they’ll provide an almost unprecedented scientific bonanza.
"Comets split relatively often," Knight says, "but we rarely get a chance to study them soon after it happens, and when we do usually only the bigger fragment survives. ...We have two fragments in this case."
"A lot of things in the sky remain immobile," says Bob King, an amateur astronomer and Sky & Telescope blogger. But anyone looking at 252P through a telescope when it’s very near will see it move, he says. "You feel a little, ‘Whoa, the solar system is closer than I thought.’... It really is a thrill."
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
03/19/2016 00:00 ||
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carbon gas it’s puffing out
I doubt it. Boiling point of carbon is nearly 5,000C.
Rebels seeking independence for Western Sahara warned Thursday that “the shortest way to the resumption of war” is if the UN ends its peacekeeping mission in the disputed territory — and they say that’s Morocco’s aim.
The Polisario Front’s UN representative, Ahmed Boukhari, spoke to reporters after Morocco ordered 84 international staff in the peacekeeping mission to leave within three days and reiterated the country’s termination of $3 million in funding for the UN operation, to protest recent remarks by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Boukhari told reporters that the UN Security Council must defend the UN presence in Western Sahara.
“If there is no mission, there is a vacuum and an invitation to war,” he said.
Morocco annexed Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, in 1975 and fought the Polisario Front until the UN brokered a cease-fire in 1991. The UN mission was established to monitor the cease-fire and help organize a referendum on the future of the vast, mineral-rich territory. But the referendum has never taken place because of disputes over voter lists.
Morocco considers Western Sahara its “southern provinces” and has offered the region autonomy, but the Polisario Front insists on self-determination through a referendum for the local population.
The Security Council met behind closed doors Thursday afternoon to hear a briefing from UN political chief Jeffrey Feltman and discuss Morocco’s actions.
Angola’s UN Ambassador Ismael Gaspar Martins, the current council president, signaled deep divisions in the UN’s most powerful body, briefly telling reporters afterward that the council “expressed serious concerns” and decided that the 15 members should engage with Morocco “to make sure that the situation is stabilized.”
UN diplomats said Feltman told the council that Morocco’s “precipitate action” would make it impossible for the UN mission, known as MINURSO, to carry out its mission. He said the UN wants “cancellation or mitigation” of Morocco’s punitive actions against MINURSO, a return to a normal relationship, and a quick resumption of negotiations on Western Sahara’s future — and he stressed that the UN was counting on the council’s “unified support,” the diplomats said.
But there was a total lack of consensus among the 15 members, with France, Egypt, Senegal, Spain and Japan supporting Morocco, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because consultations were private.
Feltman warned that if the peacekeeping mission can’t function, the vacuum created could be exploited by Morocco, the Polisario Front or others, which would threaten international peace and security, the diplomats said.
The latest dispute, which led to a massive protest in Morocco on Sunday, was sparked by the UN chief’s use of the term “occupation” in describing Western Sahara’s territorial status during his visit this month to refugee camps in Algeria for the Sahrawis, as the region’s native inhabitants are known.
Morocco’s Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar told a news conference for French and Arab media on Thursday that “like all the countries in the world, we do not accept injustice or insult wherever it comes from.”
Mezouar said the decisions about MINURSO were “irreversible,” but he said “Morocco has left pending other decisions.” They include a threat to withdraw its 2,300 troops from all UN peacekeeping operations.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric called Morocco’s order for 84 UN civilian staffers to leave within three days “unprecedented,” saying past issues with countries over UN peacekeeping missions were worked out within months, not days.
A FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 has crashed in a fireball while it attempted to land at a Russian airport.
The passenger jet was believed to be making its second attempt to land at Rostov-on-Don airport in poor visibility.
A video published on YouTube appears to show a fireball as the aircraft crashes into the ground.
The jet is believed to be Flight FZ981 from Dubai. Officials say there were at least 55 passengers and crew members on board and there were no survivors.
North Korea has yet to master ballistic missile technology that can allow a warhead to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere after flying through space, Seoul's top defense official said Friday, refuting Pyongyang's claims that it can build an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM).
On Tuesday, Pyongyang claimed it has acquired the re-entry technology with the country also releasing photos of a ground-based simulation and what is described as the tested re-entry vehicle that had a mushroom shape. The North said its test subjected the re-entry vehicle to 1,500 to 1,600 degrees Celsius of intense heat.
Defense Minister Han Min-koo said during his appearance on a local broadcast news program that existing re-entry vehicles can withstand upwards to 7,000 degrees Celsius of heat in addition to other types of ablation effects like extreme pressure and vibrations.
"I don't think North Korea has gained the re-entry technology in this test and many experts also share that point," he said.
How comforting...
On its efforts to make small nuclear weapons that can be mounted onto ballistic missiles, North Korea may have made significant strides, although the country's claim to own a real nuclear warhead is dubious, Han noted.
"North Korea has steadily conducted nuclear tests, and now it has become a realistic threat," the defense chief said, adding that the South Korean military is maintaining its readiness posture to deal with any threats.
North Korea has come very far in diversifying and making its missile arsenal more sophisticated, he said, referring to the country's programs for the submarine launched ballistic missile and the KN-08 intercontinental missile. North Korea is technically ready to conduct an additional nuclear test at any time, he also noted, saying that another nuclear test can take place at a moment's notice.
"We should squarely face the fact that North Korea's nuclear weapons are aimed at South Korea, not other countries," Han pointed out, calling for public support for denuclearizing of the North.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/19/2016 00:00 ||
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Precision targeting, maybe not, but Gravity will have its way.
A North Korean bank operating covertly in the Chinese border city of Dandong has closed down recently, in a further sign that Beijing is now strictly complying with international sanctions against the renegade country.
Sources on Thursday said a branch of Korea Kwangson Banking Corporation in downtown Dandong closed down in late February, and that there are no rumors that it has moved to another region, as North Koreans bank branches have in the past.
North Korean banks in China officially suspended operations after the North's third nuclear test in 2013, but some continued to run illegally in Dandong while Chinese authorities looked the other way. The banks handled trade financing and loans to businesspeople in the North who engaged in trade with China.
China has also drastically stepped up searches of cargo headed to North Korea, a government source here said, bolstering staff at customs checkpoints.
The official said Beijing is also complying with the most recent UN Security Council Resolution that mandates the seizure of 31 vessels operated by North Korean shipping company Ocean Maritime Management.
A growing number of North Korean restaurants in northeastern China are closing down. "Anti-North Korean sentiment increased in China after the North's latest nuclear test, and the slowing Chinese economy also played a role," the official said.
Chinese authorities also seem to be cracking down on 20,000 North Koreans working there. The main targets are illegals with only entry passes but no work permits.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/19/2016 00:00 ||
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CETCS builds the mission avionics for a family of light surveillance planes using the Diamond DA42, the CSA-003 Scout is the ELINT variant. It has electronic signal gathering pods, processing systems, satellite uplinks and options for a nose-mounted infrared/EO camera turret.
#3
First rebuilding a Russian flattop, then authorizing Spec OPs outside the country, now mini-SaR platforms for urgent close support...somebodies keeping up with the Jones.
Hat tip Instapundit. Long, long piece on North Korea that starts with that stupid American kid and explores what in the world a person would be thinking to want to go to North Korea 'on holiday'. Key graf:
But North Korea really is different. It’s not a country, it’s a prison camp and a torture chamber. Taking a tourist trip there means spectating on the murder and abuse of your fellow human beings, and putting hard currency into the hands of the people responsible for those crimes.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/19/2016 00:00 ||
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I'm sure that the night time light pollution is minimal. Might make a good sky party vacation for amateur astronomers.
In his comments, Warmbier said he was offered a used car worth $10,000 by a member of the church. He said the church member told him the slogan would be hung on its wall as a trophy. He also said he was told that if he was detained and not returned, $200,000 would be paid to his mother in a way of charitable donations.
Calls to the Friendship United Methodist Church went unanswered Monday.
Warmbier named that as the church his acquaintance belonged to and there is church of that name in Wyoming.
He said he was also encouraged in his act by the "Z Society" at the University of Virginia, which he said he was trying to join. The magazine of the university's alumni association describes the Z Society as a "semi-secret ring society" that was founded in 1892 and conducts philanthropy, puts on honorary dinners and grants academic awards.
Warmbier said he accepted the offer of money because his family is "suffering from very severe financial difficulties."
Wyoming is one of the more prosperous suburbs of Cincinnati. Fortune 500 CEOs and such live in the large Edwardian houses with impeccably maintained gardens. Department heads live in the smaller houses built in the 1920s, likewise impeccably maintained. No way would the kid break the law for a $10.000 beater -- Mom and Dad bought him a new Toyota or Kia when he got his driver's license, and he'll get something appropriate when he graduates from Virginia. If the family really were struggling, selling the house and moving to something smaller in West Chester would free up considerable funds.
Nor can I imagine a lady from the church would put him up to stealing, though a college society certainly might.
Found via Free Republic, which has a thread here..
When the Saudi treasury is depleted enough, they'll sell it.
Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco appear to be getting a divorce, breaking up their joint venture in U.S.-based refining assets.
The two companies joined together to create Motiva Enterprises LLC in 1998, a 50-50 joint venture that operated three refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. But Shell and Saudi Aramco have seen their interests head in different directions. "It is now time for the partners to pursue their independent downstream goals," said Abdulrahman Al-Wuhaib, a senior vice president of Saudi Aramco’s downstream unit.
Reuters reported that the relationship started to fray after Motiva announced a $10 billion expansion of the Port Arthur refinery, doubling its capacity to 603,000 barrels per day, making it America’s largest refinery. It produced gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. A leak shortly after the expansion was completed in 2012 led to ballooning costs, exacerbating tension between Shell and Aramco. A 2015 workers strike also sparked anger between the two companies.
The Saudis wanted to shoot all the strikers?
The two companies signed a nonbinding letter of intent, a plan that would divide up Motiva’s refineries between them. The refineries have a combined capacity of 1.1 million barrels per day and are all located close to each other. The breakup will allow Saudi Aramco to take over the Port Arthur refinery and 26 distribution terminals, and Aramco will also hold onto the Motiva brand name. Shell will take over the other two refineries, Convent and Norco, both located in Louisiana. Shell said that it would operate the two refineries as one plant with a combined throughput of 500,000 barrels per day.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain ||
03/19/2016 12:48 ||
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"The Saudis wanted to shoot all the strikers?"
Well, it would be a charlie foxtrot, and they're the ones standing around wearing dresses...
Today, Friday, March 18 2016, the Baltic Dry Index climbed by 3 points, reaching 395 points.
Baltic Dry Index is compiled by the London-based Baltic Exchange and covers prices for transported cargo such as coal, grain and iron ore. The index is based on a daily survey of agents all over the world.
Baltic Dry hit a temporary peak on May 20, 2008, when the index hit 11,793. The lowest level ever reached was on Wednesday the 10th of February 2016, when the index dropped to 290 points.
h/t Instapundit
The city of Ăstersund in central Sweden has decided to cancel its participation in Saturday’s Earth Hour because of the increased rape risk when streets are dark.
The United States and the Philippines announced a deal on Friday allowing for a rotating U.S. military presence at five Philippine bases under a security agreement inked amid rising tensions with China in the South China Sea.
A joint statement after an annual U.S.-Philippines Strategic Dialogue listed the sites as Antonio Bautista Air Base, close to the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, Basa Air Base north of Manila, Fort Magsaysay in Palayan, Lumbia Air Base in Mindanao and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Amy Searight said the deal was reached under a 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that grants Washington increased military presence in its former colony through rotation of ships and aircraft for humanitarian and maritime security operations.
Searight told the meeting Manila was a "critical U.S. ally" and ties had never been stronger.
I'll bet her lips never once fell off...
U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg told reporters movements of supplies and personnel to the base locations would take place "very soon."
He described the agreement, valid for an initial 10 years, as "a pretty big deal," that would allow for a greater U.S. presence as part of the U.S. rebalance to Asia and enhance the alliance with the Philippines. However, he stressed that it did not allow for permanent U.S. bases that existed for 94 years until 1991, when the Philippine Senate voted to evict them.
"This isn't a return to that era. These are different reasons and for 21st century issues, including maritime security," he said, adding that all U.S. deployments would require Philippine approval.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/19/2016 10:32 ||
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Landing on a platform rolling in a swell is tough enough, but a rotating base?
[USA Today] WASHINGTON -- Three years after the Pentagon ordered the military services to prepare to open all ground combat jobs to women, few of them have expressed interest in a career in the infantry or other newly opened positions.
As part of an experimental program, 233 women who completed Marine Corps infantry and other ground combat schools are eligible for those jobs, but none has requested a formal transfer. Yes, zero out of 233 would certainly qualify as 'few.'
The Army sees similar results. "We’re not expecting a high propensity for infantry or armor," said Lt. Col. Jerry Pionk, an Army spokesman. Expectation management is it? It's a cock-up, a failure. Own it and move on, colonel!
The Marine Corps initially expected about 200 women a year to enter jobs previously closed to women, including a small number in the infantry.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said opening the jobs would improve combat effectiveness because the military would draw from a larger pool of applicants for the infantry and other specialties.
“To succeed in our mission of national defense, we cannot afford to cut ourselves off from half the country's talents and skills,” Carter said.
Military officials said the interest among women in previously all-male jobs may change over time, citing the gradual progress in expanding earlier opportunities for women in the military. “Incrementally over time, it’s been one success after another,” Pionk said.
It remains to be seen whether this time will be different. The infantry, in particular, is a job that requires carrying heavy loads over great distances and living in austere conditions for long periods. The life of an infantryman has changed little over the course of U.S. military history. Yes indeed, 'changed little' over the course of U.S. military history or since the battle of Thermopylae. They have a hard enough time getting men to sign up for infantry. It's a job for tough guys.
#1
If these numbskulls continue to go all-in on the civil rights/equality thing, we need to force the "women register for the draft" down their throats. Can't do much more damage at this point, and might make for a salubrious "Learning Experience".
#2
Notice how many women are lining up for those jobs on Deadliest Catch? For some reason they are not 'proportionately' represented in these types of jobs. About as many as you'd find male elementary school teachers. In the world of potential death and dismemberment, the dirty end of the stick is handed to one gender. Where's the equality in that? Hint - its about power, not equality or fairness.
#3
Just because 'They can' doesn't mean 'They will'.
When exclusionary behavior is applied to 50% of any population, the socially perceived value of common included and excluded subtypes is diminished. Gamers, Coders, Checkout Clerks or Thumpers should not be gender selective.
#4
Not too unlike the construction industry. Companies actively recruit, offer child care, etc.
Still only about 5-6% of the 'heavy' construction trades as a whole though, and even less in the 'craft' trades (Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC, etc.). Some government contracts REQUIRE 15-25% female laborers, so it gets real tough to comply.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
03/19/2016 14:19 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
