Good Monday Morning 12 December.
.I hope that you all had a great weekend. We had plenty of rain and it is still coming down. The new weeds are going to love it.
The list has been completed for a couple hours and the world
news has still not shown up. I will send it when it comes.
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This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History
December 12
1862—During the Civil War, a Confederate torpedo (mine) sinks USS Cairo in Yazoo River. Her wreck is recovered in 1965, but is badly damaged during the salvage efforts.
1937—After Japan invades Nanking, China, USS Panay (PR 5) evacuates American citizens when it comes under attack from Japanese aircraft, killing three men and wounding 43 sailors and five civilians.
1941—The Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) is established.
1942—Five torpedo boats attack 11 Japanese destroyers off Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal. Motor torpedo boats PT 37 and PT 40 sink Japanese destroyer Terutsuki. In return, the Japanese destroyers Kawakaze and Suzukaze sink PT 44 off Savo Island.
1972—Capt. Eugene A. Cernan, commander of Apollo 17, walks on the Moon and raises the U.S. flag. Cmdr. Ronald E. Evans is the Command Module Pilot and Harrison H. Schmitt is the Lunar Module pilot. The mission lasts 12 days, 13 hours and 52 minutes.
2001—USS Russell (DDG 59) recovers four crewmembers from an Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber, which crashed at about 11:30 a.m. EST into the Indian Ocean 30 miles north of the British base of Diego Garcia.
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Today in History December 12
| 1753 |
| George Washington, the adjutant of Virginia, delivers an ultimatum to the French forces at Fort Le Boeuf, south of Lake Erie, reiterating Britain's claim to the entire Ohio River valley. |
| 1770 |
| The British soldiers responsible for the "Boston Massacre" are acquitted on murder charges. |
| 1862 |
| The Union loses its first ship to a torpedo, USS Cairo, in the Yazoo River. |
| 1863 |
| Orders are given in Richmond, Virginia, that no more supplies from the Union should be received by Federal prisoners. |
| 1901 |
| Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio transmission in St. John's Newfoundland. |
| 1927 |
| Communists forces seize Canton, China. |
| 1930 |
| The Spanish Civil War begins as rebels take a border town. |
| 1930 |
| The last Allied troops withdraw from the Saar region in Germany. |
| 1931 |
| Under pressure from the Communists in Canton, Chiang Kai-shek resigns as president of the Nanking Government but remains the head of the Nationalist government that holds nominal rule over most of China. |
| 1943 |
| The German Army launches Operation Winter Tempest, the relief of the Sixth Army trapped in Stalingrad. |
| 1943 |
| The exiled Czech government signs a treaty with the Soviet Union for postwar cooperation. |
| 1956 |
| The United Nations calls for immediate Soviet withdrawal from Hungary. |
| 1964 |
| Kenya becomes a republic. |
| 1964 |
| Three Buddhist leaders begin a hunger strike to protest the government in Saigon. |
| 1967 |
| The United States ends the airlift of 6,500 men in Vietnam. |
| 1979 |
| South Korean Army Major General Chun Doo-hwan, acting without authorization from President Choi Kyu-ha, orders the arrest of Army Chief of Staff General Jeong Seung-hwa, alleging that the chief of staff was involved in the assassination of ex-President Park Chung Hee. |
| 1985 |
| Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashes after takeoff at Gander, Newfoundland; among the 256 dead are 236 members of the US Army's 101st Airborne Division. |
| 1991 |
| The Russian Federation becomes independent from the USSR. |
| 1995 |
| Willie Brown beats incumbent mayor Frank Jordon to become the first African-American mayor of San Francisco. |
| 2000 |
| The US Supreme Court announces its decision in Bush v. Gore, effectively ending legal changes to the results of that year's Presidential election. |
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
… For The List for Monday, 12 December 2022… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 12 December 1967… July, August, September 1967: an all-out air war…
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
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Thanks to Al
Monday Morning Humor--Getting Ready for Christmas 2
. If you see a fat man who's jolly and cute,
Wearing a beard and a red flannel suit,
And if he is chuckling and laughing away,
While flying around in a miniature sleigh,
With eight tiny reindeer to pull him along,
Then let's face it...your eggnog's too strong!
As you know, it is important for Santa and his reindeer to be quiet when they deliver presents on Christmas Eve so no one will know they are there.
One Christmas Eve, Santa Claus landed on a rooftop and suddenly he heard a very loud, "Snort sniff honk honk snort!" coming from one of his reindeer. Since he was in the sleigh behind them, he didn't know which one it was.
It happened again, only louder this time. "Snort sniff honk honk snort!"
Dogs in the neighborhood began to bark.
"Shhh!" Santa hissed. "Please be quiet!"
He went to work lifting the sack of toys out of the sleigh when he heard it again, only a lot louder this time. "SNORT SNIFF HONK HONK SNORT!"
Lights came on all over the neighborhood and some people even stuck their heads out of their windows. Santa was horrified. Jumping back into the sleigh, he drove quickly back to the North Pole.
He lined up all the reindeer and announced, "We are not going to deliver another present until the reindeer who is making funny noises with his nose steps forward and apologizes!"
None of the reindeer stepped forward.
Santa held up a piece of paper. "I know who it is and I have written your name on this paper. But I want to give you a chance to do the right thing on your own."
Still none of the reindeer came forward. So Santa did the only thing he could do. He read off the rude-nosed reindeer...
A man called his mother in Florida to wish her a merry Christmas, "Mom, how are you?"
"Not too good," said the mother, "I've been very weak."
The son asked, "Why are you so weak?"
She said, "Because I haven't eaten in 38 days."
The son replied, "That's terrible. Why haven't you eaten in 38 days?"
The mother answered, "Because I didn't want my mouth to be filled with food if you should call."
Christmas is just around the corner so here are some gift ideas for those special men in your life! Buying gifts for men is not nearly as complicated as it is for women. Follow these rules and you should have no problems. Guys, forward this to any women in your life and you will have a happy Christmas.
· Rule #1: When in doubt - buy him a cordless drill. It does not matter if he already has one. I have a friend who owns 17 and he has yet to complain. As a man, you can never have too many cordless drills. No one knows why.
· Rule #2: If you cannot afford a cordless drill, buy him anything with the word ratchet or socket in it. Men love saying those two words. "Hey George, can I borrow your ratchet?" "OK. By-the-way, are you through with my 3/8-inch socket yet? " Again, no one knows why.
· Rule #3: If you are really, really broke, buy him anything for his car. A 99-cent ice scraper, a small bottle of deicer or something to hang from his rear view mirror. Men love gifts for their cars. No one knows why.
· Rule #4: Do not buy men socks. Do not buy men ties. And never buy men bathrobes. I was told that if God had wanted men to wear bathrobes, he wouldn't have invented Jockey shorts.
· Rule #5: You can buy men new remote controls to replace the ones they have worn out. If you have a lot of money, buy your man a big-screen TV with the little picture in the corner. Watch him go wild as he flips, and flips, and flips.
· Rule #6: Do not buy a man any of those fancy liqueurs. If you do, it will sit in a cupboard for 23 years. Real men drink whiskey or beer.
· Rule #7: Do not buy any man industrial-sized canisters of after shave or deodorant. I'm told they do not stink - they are earthy.
· Rule #8: Buy men label makers. Almost as good as cordless drills. Within a couple of weeks there will be labels absolutely everywhere. "Socks. Shorts. Cups. Saucers. Door. Lock. Sink. "You get the idea. No one knows why.
· Rule #9: Never buy a man anything that says "some assembly required" on the box. It will ruin his Special Day and he will always have parts left over.
· Rule #10: Good places to shop for men include Northwest Iron Works, Parr Lumber, Home Depot, John Deere, Valley RV Center, and Les Schwab Tire. (NAPA Auto Parts and Sears Clearance Centers are also excellent men's stores. It doesn't matter if he doesn't know what it is. "From NAPA Auto, eh? Must be something I need. Hey! Isn't this a starter for a '68 Ford Fairlane? Wow! Thanks.")
· Rule #11: Men enjoy danger. That's why they never cook - but they will barbecue. Get him a monster barbecue with a 100-pound propane tank. Tell him the gas line leaks. "Oh the thrill! The challenge! Who wants a hamburger? "
· Rule #12: Tickets to a Chargers game are a smart gift. However, he will not appreciate tickets to "A Retrospective of 19th Century Quilts." Everyone knows why.
· Rule #13: Men love chainsaws. Never, ever, buy a man you love a chainsaw. If you don't know why - please refer to Rule #8 and what happens when he gets a label maker.
· Rule #14: It's hard to beat a really good wheelbarrow or an aluminum extension ladder. Never buy a real man a step ladder. It must be an extension ladder. No one knows why.
· Rule #15: Rope. Men love rope. It takes us back to our cowboy origins, or at least The Boy Scouts. Nothing says love like a hundred feet of 3/8" manila rope. No one knows why.
Continuing the current trend of large-scale mergers and acquisitions, it was announced today at a press conference that Christmas and Hanukkah will merge. An industry source said that the deal had been in the works for about 1300 years.
While details were not available at press time, it is believed that the overhead cost of having twelve days of Christmas and eight days of Hanukkah was becoming prohibitive for both sides. By combining forces, we're told, the world will be able to enjoy consistently high-quality service during the Fifteen Days of Chrismukah, as the new holiday is being called. Massive layoffs are expected, with lords a-leaping and maids a-milking being the hardest hit.
As part of the conditions of the agreement, the letters on the dreidel, currently in Hebrew, will be replaced by Latin, thus becoming unintelligible to a wider audience. Also, instead of translating to "A great miracle happened there," the message on the dreidel will be the more generic "Miraculous stuff happens." In exchange, it is believed that Jews will be allowed to use Santa Claus and his vast merchandising resources for buying and delivering their gifts.
One of the sticking points holding up the agreement for at least three hundred years was the question of whether Jewish children could leave milk and cookies for Santa even after having eaten meat for dinner. A breakthrough came last year, when Oreos were finally declared to be Kosher.
All sides appeared happy about this. A spokesman for Christmas, Inc., declined to say whether a takeover of Kwanzaa might not be in the works as well. He merely pointed out that, were it not for the independent existence of Kwanzaa, the merger between Christmas and Chanukah might indeed be seen as an unfair cornering of the holiday market. Fortunately for all concerned, he said, Kwanzaa will help to maintain the competitive balance. He then closed the press conference by leading all present in a rousing rendition of "Oy Vey, All Ye Faithful."
Late last week, I was rushing around trying to get some last minute shopping done. I was stressed out and not thinking very fondly of the Christmas season right then. It was dark, cold, and wet in the parking lot as I was loading my car up with gifts that I felt obligated to buy. I noticed that I was missing a receipt that I might need later. So mumbling under my breath, I retraced my steps to the mall entrance.
As I was searching the wet pavement for the lost receipt, I heard a quiet sobbing. The crying was coming from a poorly dressed boy of about 12 years old. He was short and thin. He had no coat. He was just wearing a ragged flannel shirt to protect him from the cold night's chill. Oddly enough, he was holding a hundred-dollar bill in his hand. Thinking that he had gotten lost from his parents, I asked him what was wrong.
He told me his sad story. He said that he came from a large family. He had three brothers and two sisters. His father had died when he was nine years old. His mother was poorly educated and worked two full time jobs. She made very little to support her large family. Nevertheless, she had managed to save two hundred dollars to buy her children Christmas presents. The young boy had been dropped off on the way to her second job. He was to use the money to buy presents for all his siblings and save just enough to take the bus home.
He had not even entered the mall, when an older boy grabbed one of the hundred dollar bills and disappeared into the night.
"Why didn't you scream for help?" I asked.
The boy said, "I did."
"And nobody came to help you?" I wondered.
The boy stared at the sidewalk and sadly shook his head.
"How loud did you scream?" I inquired.
The soft-spoken boy looked up and meekly whispered, "Help me!"
I realized that absolutely no one could have heard that poor boy cry for help. So, I grabbed his other hundred and ran to my car.
Why Christmas Trees Are Better Than Men
· A Christmas tree always looks good –even when it's lit.
· You can throw a Christmas tree out when it wears out.
· You don't have to put up with a Christmas tree all year.
· You only have to feed/water it once a week.
· It's always there to light up your life.
· It gets turned on only when you want it turned on.
· It always smells nice and doesn't pass gas.
· If it needles you, you can toss it out.
· It doesn't ask you to have little Christmas trees.
Christmas Carols for the psychiatrically challenged
· SCHIZOPHRENIA: Do You Hear What I Hear?
· MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER: We Three Queens Disoriented Are
· DEMENTIA: I Think I'll Be Home for Christmas
· NARCISSISTIC: Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me
· MANIC: Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Busses and Trucks and Trees and Fire Hydrants and...
· PARANOID: Santa Claus is Coming to Get Me.
· PERSONALITY DISORDER: You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll tell you Why.
· OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER: Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock; Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock...........(better start again)
· PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE PERSONALITY: On the First Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me (and then took it all away).
· BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER: Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire.
I thought it would be a nice idea to bring a date to my parents' house on Christmas Eve. I thought it would be interesting for a non-Italian girl to see how an Italian family spends the holidays. I thought my mother and my date would hit it off like partridges and pear trees. So, I was wrong!!! Sue me!!!
I had only known Karen for three weeks when I extended the invitation. "I know these family things can be a little weird," I told her, "but my folks are great, and we always have a lot of fun on Christmas Eve."
"Sounds fine to me," Karen said.
I had only known my mother for 31 years when I told her I'd be bringing Karen with me. "She's a very nice girl and she's really looking forward to meeting all of you."
"Sounds fine to me," my mother said.
And that was that. Two telephone calls. Two "sounds-fine-to-me." What more could I want?
I should point out, I suppose, that in Italian households, Christmas Eve is the social event of the season -- an Italian woman's day to shine. She cleans. She cooks. She bakes. She orchestrates every minute of the entire evening. Christmas Eve is what Italian women live for. I should also point out, I suppose, that when it comes to the kind of women that make Italian men go nuts, Karen is it. She doesn't clean. She doesn't cook. She doesn't bake. AND she has the largest breasts I have ever seen on a human being. I brought her anyway.
7p.m. -- we arrive.
Karen and I walk in and putter around for half an hour waiting for the other guests to show up. During that half hour, my mother grills Karen like a cheeseburger and determines that Karen does not clean, cook, or bake. My father is equally observant. He pulls me into the living room and notes, "She has the most beautiful body I have ever seen on a human being."
7:30p.m. - Others arrive.
Uncle Vito walks in with my Aunt Tessie - assorted kids - assorted gifts. We sit around the dining room table for antipasto, a perfectly composed platter of lettuce, roasted peppers, black olives, salami, prosciutto, provolone, and anchovies. When I offer to make Karen's plate she says, "Thank you. But none of those things. Okay?" As she points to the anchovies.
"You don't like anchovies?" I ask.
"I don't like fish," Karen announces to one and all as 67 other varieties of foods-that-swim are baking, broiling and simmering in the next room.
My mother makes the sign of the cross. Things are getting uncomfortable.
Aunt Tessie asks Karen what her family eats on Christmas Eve. Karen says, "Knockwurst."
My father, who is still staring in a daze, at Karen's chest, temporarily snaps out of it to murmur, "Knockers?"
My mother kicks him so hard he gets a blood clot. None of this is turning out the way I'd hoped.
8:00p.m. - Second course.
The spaghetti and crab sauce is on the way to the table. Karen declines the crab sauce and says she'll make her own with butter and ketchup.
My mother asks me to join her in the kitchen.
I take my "Merry Christmas" napkin from my lap, place it on the "Merry Christmas" tablecloth and walk into the kitchen.
"I don't want to start any trouble," my mother says calmly, clutching a bottle of ketchup in her hands. "But if she pours this on my pasta, I'm going to throw acid in her face."
"Come on," I tell her. "It's Christmas. Let her eat what she wants."
My mother considers the situation, then nods.
As I turn to walk back into the dining room, she grabs my shoulder. "Tell me the truth," she says, "are you serious with this tramp?"
"She's not a tramp," I reply. "And I've only known her for three weeks."
"Well, it's your life", she tells me, "but if you marry her, she'll poison you."
8:30p.m. - More fish.
My stomach is knotted like one of those macramé plant hangers that are always three times larger than the plants they hold. All the women get up to clear away the spaghetti dishes, except for Karen, who, instead, lights a cigarette.
"Why don't you give them a little hand?" I politely suggest.
Karen makes a face and walks into the kitchen carrying three forks.
"Dear, you don't have to do that," my mother tells her, smiling painfully.
"Oh, okay," Karen says, putting the forks on the sink. As she reenters the dining room, a wine glass flies over her head, and smashes against the wall.
From the kitchen, my mother says, "Whoops." I vaguely remember that line from Torch Song Trilogy. "Whoops?" No. "Whoops is when you fall down an elevator shaft."
More fish comes out. After some goading, Karen tries a piece of scungilli, which she describes as "slimy, like worms."
My mother winces, bites her hand and pounds her chest like one of those old women you always see in the sixth row of a funeral home. Aunt Tessie does the same.
Karen, believing that this is something that all Italian women do on Christmas Eve, bites her hand and pounds her chest. My Uncle Vito doesn't know what to make of it. My father's dentures fall out and chew a six-inch gash in the tablecloth.
10:00p.m. - Coffee, dessert.
Espresso all around. A little anisette. A curl of lemon peel. When Karen asks for milk, my mother finally slaps her in the face with cannoli.
I guess it had to happen sooner or later. Karen, believing that this is something that all Italian women do on Christmas Eve, picks up cannoli and slaps my mother with it.
"This is fun," Karen says. Fun? No. Fun is when you fall down an elevator shaft. But, amazingly, everyone is laughing and smiling and filled with good cheer -- even my mother, who grabs me by the shoulder, laughs and says, "Get this &!+@# out of my house."
Sounds fine to me.
Elf Pet Peeves
· Icy cold North Pole temperature makes it hard to get a good tan.
· Toil for 365 days a year just to make children smile and no one gives a rat's pitoot. Meanwhile, frolic around in some stupid "fellowship" with a lousy bow and arrow and all of a sudden you're a hero.
· Company health plan doesn't cover tattoo removal.
· The EPA's new relaxed reindeer-emissions standards.
· Casual Fridays. Nobody, and I mean 'nobody' should have to look at the big guy in a thong.
· Santa dangling our co-workers from the workshop balcony during ill-conceived publicity stunts.
· Prancer's habit of freaking out over Rudolph's nose means constantly shampooing reindeer dung out of your hair.
· Reindeer game #12: Elf lacrosse.
· Randy Newman hasn't died yet.
· Reindeer poop and velvet elf shoes don't mix.
· Fatso Santa has never yet brought back a single lousy cookie.
· Mrs. Keebler spurns your every advance.
· Constantly ridiculed for that 0-854 record in the North Pole basketball league.
Have a great week,
Al
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.Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
https://geopoliticalfutures.com
Daily Memo: Daily Memo: Concerns Over Kosovo Tensions
Serbia is threatening to deploy security forces.
By: GPF Staff
December 12, 2022
Tensions in the Balkans. Roughly 300 Kosovo special forces arrived in the Serb-majority town of Kosovska Mitrovica on Thursday amid heightened tensions among residents there. According to Kosovo police, the deployment was aimed at "maintaining public order." A top Serbian official said in response that his country would consider sending 1,000 security forces to Kosovo. Relations between Serbia and Kosovo deteriorated after Kosovar authorities decided to impose fines on vehicles that carried Serbian rather than Kosovar license plates. Local elections set for Dec. 18 in Serb-dominated areas of Kosovo are raising fears of another bout of violence, after several officials in the municipalities resigned from all state institutions in Pristina in protest over the license plate issue.
Go-ahead. The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control has given permission to Kazakh banks to conduct transactions using payment cards from Russia's Mir system, according to the country's financial market regulator. Kazakh banks had suspended use of the system, fearing they could incur secondary sanctions.
Still doing business. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to purchase millions of dollars' worth of goods from Russia, despite imposing severe sanctions on the country over its invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. imported goods worth a total $732 million from Russia in October, the largest amount in the past five months. The imports include nuclear fuel, fertilizers and platinum group metals.
Eurasian summit. Bishkek is hosting a summit of the Eurasian Economic Union, during which the leaders of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan will discuss the formation of a common gas market and an interdepartmental council on energy. The summit is expected to include representatives from observer countries Cuba and Uzbekistan.
Get on board. The U.S. special representative for North Korea held talks with his Chinese counterpart about Pyongyang's "increasingly destabilizing and provocative behavior." At the rare meeting, the U.S. official stressed the need for all U.N. member states to fully implement U.N. sanctions on North Korea and urged China to do so in order to maintain peace in the region. This comes after China, along with Russia, blocked U.S.-led efforts at the U.N. Security Council to condemn North Korea's recent missile launches.
Opening the door for Japan. During a visit to Tokyo, Australia's deputy prime minister said Canberra would seek to integrate Japan into elements of the Australia-U.K.-U.S. security pact, known as AUKUS. Japanese deployment of F-35s to Australia is also expected to be discussed during the visit. This comes days after Australia and the U.S. said they would include Japan in joint military drills in Australia.
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Thanks to Dr. Rich
Ever hear of the Russian company "Yandex"?
. Incredible story that I'd never heard about until I picked up a copy of "Wired" the other day … Started by a couple of young Russian men, similar to Google, and was competing w. Amazon, Google, UBER, and Spotify to the extent that Google offered to buy them for $100M (early on) .. which they politely declined … and then the war in Ukraine started …
Read on:
https://www.wired.com/story/yandex-arkady-volozh-russia-largest-tech-company/
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|
Thanks to Dutch
Schiff is a slime bag but think correct on this - Dutch
Schiff says Putin 'calculated' Griner-Bout swap to divide Americans
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Adam B. Schiff accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of attempting to sow division among Americans by trading WNBA star Brittney Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in a prisoner swap.
The California Democrat suggested it was part of a "calculated" ploy by the Russian leader, as Republicans — and even some Democrats — criticize the Biden administration for releasing such a high-profile Russian responsible for fueling war while failing to also secure the release of former Marine Paul Whelan, who's been jailed in Russia for four years. "But it's hard to other Americans," Mr. Schiff said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "In terms of Putin, he gets an arms dealer back. "He also knows that he can just roil the American body politic by picking one to send back to the United States and leaving others in custody in Russia. He knows just what that will stir in the United States of America," he said.
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This Day in U S Military History December 12
1901 – Italian physicist and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi succeeds in sending the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean, disproving detractors who told him that the curvature of the earth would limit transmission to 200 miles or less. The message–simply the Morse-code signal for the letter "s"–traveled more than 2,000 miles from Poldhu in Cornwall, England, to Newfoundland, Canada. Born in Bologna, Italy, in 1874 to an Italian father and an Irish mother, Marconi studied physics and became interested in the transmission of radio waves after learning of the experiments of the German physicist Heinrich Hertz. He began his own experiments in Bologna beginning in 1894 and soon succeeded in sending a radio signal over a distance of 1.5 miles. Receiving little encouragement for his experiments in Italy, he went to England in 1896. He formed a wireless telegraph company and soon was sending transmissions from distances farther than 10 miles. In 1899, he succeeded in sending a transmission across the English Channel. That year, he also equipped two U.S. ships to report to New York newspapers on the progress of the America's Cup yacht race. That successful endeavor aroused widespread interest in Marconi and his wireless company. Marconi's greatest achievement came on December 12, 1901, when he received a message sent from England at St. John's, Newfoundland. The transatlantic transmission won him worldwide fame. Ironically, detractors of the project were correct when they declared that radio waves would not follow the curvature of the earth, as Marconi believed. In fact, Marconi's transatlantic radio signal had been headed into space when it was reflected off the ionosphere and bounced back down toward Canada. Much remained to be learned about the laws of the radio wave and the role of the atmosphere in radio transmissions, and Marconi would continue to play a leading role in radio discoveries and innovations during the next three decades. In 1909, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in physics with the German radio innovator Ferdinand Braun. After successfully sending radio transmissions from points as far away as England and Australia, Marconi turned his energy to experimenting with shorter, more powerful radio waves. He died in 1937, and on the day of his funeral all British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) stations were silent for two minutes in tribute to his contributions to the development of radio.
1937 – During the battle for Nanking in the Sino-Japanese War, the U.S. gunboat Panay is attacked and sunk by Japanese warplanes in Chinese waters. The American vessel, neutral in the Chinese-Japanese conflict, was escorting U.S. evacuees and three Standard Oil barges away from Nanking, the war-torn Chinese capital on the Yangtze River. After the Panay was sunk, the Japanese fighters machine-gunned lifeboats and survivors huddling on the shore of the Yangtze. Two U.S. sailors and a civilian passenger were killed and 11 personnel seriously wounded, setting off a major crisis in U.S.-Japanese relations. Although the Panay's position had been reported to the Japanese as required, the neutral vessel was clearly marked, and the day was sunny and clear, the Japanese maintained that the attack was unintentional, and they agreed to pay $2 million in reparations. Two neutral British vessels were also attacked by the Japanese in the final days of the battle for Nanking.
1941 – U.S. Navy takes control of the largest and most luxurious ocean liner on the seas at that time, France's Normandie, while it is docked at New York City. Shortly thereafter, the conversion for U.S. wartime use began. The Normandie was unique in many ways. It was the first ship built, in 1931, in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the 1929 Convention for Safety of Life at Sea. It was also huge, measuring 1,029 feet long and 119 feet wide. It displaced 85,000 tons of water. It offered passengers seven accommodation classes (including the new "tourist" class, as opposed to the old "third" class, commonly known as "steerage") and 1,975 berths. It took a crew of more than 1,300 to work her. But despite its size, it was also fast: capable of 32.1 knots. The liner was launched in 1932 and made its first transatlantic crossing in 1935. In 1937, it was reconfigured with four-bladed propellers, which meant it could now cross the Atlantic in less than four days. When France surrendered to the Germans in June 1940, and the puppet Vichy regime was installed, the Normandie was in dock at New York City. Immediately placed in "protective custody" by the Navy, it was clear that the U.S. government was not about to let a ship of such size and speed fall into the hands of the Germans, which it certainly would upon returning to France. In November 1941, Time magazine ran an article stating that in the event of the United States' involvement in the war, the Navy would seize the liner altogether and turn it into an aircraft carrier. It also elaborated on how the design of the ship made such a conversion relatively simple. When the Navy did take control of the ship, shortly after Pearl Harbor, it began the conversion of the liner-but to a troop ship, renamed the USS Lafayette (after the French general who aided the American Colonies in their original quest for independence). The Lafayette never served its new purpose. On February 9, 1942, the ship caught fire and capsized. Sabotage was originally suspected, but the likely cause was sparks from a welder's torch. Although the ship was finally righted, the massive salvage operation cost $3,750,000–and the fire damage made any hope of employing the vessel impossible. It was scrapped–literally chopped up for scrap metal–in 1946.
1941 – USMC F4F "Wildcats" sink the first 4 major Japanese ships off Wake Island.
1944 – Bomber Command Lancaster bombers, escorted by Mustang fighters, attack Witten, the only city in the Ruhr industrial area that has not been bombed yet.
1950 – The 1st Marine Division closed into Hungnam having cut its way through six Chinese divisions, killing approximately 20,000 of the enemy, on the way to the sea from Chosin/Changjin Reservoir. Legend has it that the division commander, Major General O. P. Smith, supposedly characterized the operation with, "Retreat? Hell, we're just attacking in a different direction!"
1951 – First flight of helicopter with gas-turbine engine at Windsor Locks, CT, demonstrates
1953 – Chuck Yeager reached Mach 2.43 in Bell X-1A rocket plane.
1985 – 248 American soldiers and eight crew members were killed when an Arrow Air charter crashed after takeoff from Gander, Newfoundland.1997 – Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the international terrorist known as "Carlos the Jackal," went on trial in Paris on charges of killing two French investigators and a Lebanese national. He was convicted and began serving a life prison sentence.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*ELROD, HENRY TALMAGE
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 27 September 1905, Rebecca, Ga. Entered service at: Ashburn, Ga. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while attached to Marine Fighting Squadron 211, during action against enemy Japanese land, surface and aerial units at Wake Island, 8 to 23 December 1941. Engaging vastly superior forces of enemy bombers and warships on 9 and 12 December, Capt. Elrod shot down 2 of a flight of 22 hostile planes and, executing repeated bombing and strafing runs at extremely low altitude and close range, succeeded in inflicting deadly damage upon a large Japanese vessel, thereby sinking the first major warship to be destroyed by small caliber bombs delivered from a fighter-type aircraft. When his plane was disabled by hostile fire and no other ships were operative, Capt. Elrod assumed command of 1 flank of the line set up in defiance of the enemy landing and, conducting a brilliant defense, enabled his men to hold their positions and repulse intense hostile fusillades to provide covering fire for unarmed ammunition carriers. Capturing an automatic weapon during 1 enemy rush in force, he gave his own firearm to 1 of his men and fought on vigorously against the Japanese. Responsible in a large measure for the strength of his sector's gallant resistance, on 23 December, Capt. Elrod led his men with bold aggressiveness until he fell, mortally wounded. His superb skill as a pilot, daring leadership and unswerving devotion to duty distinguished him among the defenders of Wake Island, and his valiant conduct reflects the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for December 12, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
12 December
1929: Cmdr Richard E. Byrd for his flights over the poles and Charles M. Manly (posthumously) for pioneer developments in airplane engines received Langley Medals. (24)
1935: Lt Hugh F. McCaffery (USA) and crew of five set an amphibian distance record of 1,033.2 miles from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Chapman Field, Miami, Fla. (24)
1941: Maj Gen Herbert A. Dargue, a pioneer aviator, died when his plane crashed into a Sierra Nevada mountain side near Bishop, Calif. (24)
1944: MEDAL OF HONOR: Maj Richard I. Bong, 49th Fighter Group, 9th Fighter Squadron, with 38 aerial victories, received the medal from General MacArthur in ceremonies at Tacloban in the Philippines. (17)
1953: In the rocket-powered Bell X-1A, which a B-29 bomber dropped over Edwards AFB, Calif., Maj Charles E. Yeager attained a speed of 1,650 MPH (Mach 2.44). (3) (9)
1957: In an F-101A Voodoo fighter-bomber, Maj Adrian E. Drew set a world speed record of 1,207.6 MPH at Edwards AFB, Calif. (20)
1958: The USAF ended the Goose missile program, which simulated a B-52 or B-47 on radar, in favor of the Snark missile. (6)
1968: Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units called to active duty in January and May 1968 started to inactivate. (16)
1970: Congress did not fund the Subsonic Cruise Aircraft Decoy (SCAD) program for FY1971. (6) X-RAY SKY SURVEY. A Scout rocket carried the first US satellite launched by another country into orbit. The rocket took Explorer 42 into an equatorial orbit from Italy's San Marco launch platform in the Indian Ocean, near the Kenyan coast, to conduct this special survey. (7)
1975: The E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System arrived at Edwards AFB, Calif., for testing. (3)
1979: North Atlantic Treaty Organization ministers voted to deploy Ground Launched Cruise Missiles and Pershing II missiles in Europe during a meeting in Brussels, Belgium. (4)
1985: Through 20 January 1986, the Military Airlift Command supported recovery operations after an Arrow Air DC-8 crashed on takeoff from Gander International Airport, Newfoundland. The accident claimed the lives of 248 101st Airborne Division paratroopers and eight civilians. Nine C-141s returned the remains to the U.S, while an additional 17 airlift missions moved 770 passengers and nearly 125 tons of cargo. (18)
1988: The 33d Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron saved 11 passengers off of a life raft from the sunken ship, Selina, in the Pacific between the Philippines and Japan. The were flown to Clark AB, Philippines, for examination and treatment. (26)
1996: The USAF and the Boeing Aircraft Company successfully demonstrated that an AGM-86C Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile, guided only by a Global Positioning System, could deliver precision strike accuracy. During the test flight, a B-52H launched the modified missile on a 4-hour 30-minute flight. The missile hit the target area with the accuracy required for a precision strike. The demonstra-tion featured a steep-terminal-dive to deliver a penetrator warhead on target--a first for a this cruise missile. (AFNEWS Article 961299)
1998: At Beale AFB, Calif., a 1st Reconnaissance Squadron pilot, Maj Alan Zwick, shattered a world record by flying his U-2 and payload to an altitude more than 12 ½ miles above the Earth. Zwick broke the previous record of Rudolf Fiam, a Czechoslovakian pilot, who flew a Yakovlev 40 on 24 February 1979 to an altitude of 28,513 feet with a payload of 4,400 pounds. Zwick surpassed that record 12 minutes into his flight, and he continued to climb to over 66,800 feet, or 38,287 feet higher than the Czechoslovakian record. (AFNEWS Article 981999, 24 Dec 98) A KC-135R, modified with Pacer CRAG, flew its first overseas mission from Grand Forks AFB. The 905 AREFS aircraft transferred 95,000 pounds of fuel to a B-52 in Alaskan airspace during the mission. (22) 2000: Following the fatal crash of a Marine Corps Osprey during a training sortie in North Carolina, the U. S. Marine Corps suspended all MV-22 flight testing. The USAF also halted all CV-22 developmental testing by the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, Calif. (3)
2001: Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. A B-1B on a bombing mission to Afghanistan crashed in the Indian Ocean, 10 miles north of Diego Garcia. It was the USAF'S first aircraft loss in the operation and the first B-1 lost in combat. The crew survived. (21)
2005: From Charleston AFB, S.C., 17 C-17s from the 437th Airlift Wing and the 315th Airlift Wing-- the largest formation of C-17 Globemaster IIIs to take off from a single base--launched into the morning skies to demonstrate the USAF's strategic airdrop capability. The previous record was 15 C-17s from McChord AFB, Wash. The training formation left the base to locations around the southeast to perform required quarterly, semiannual and end-of-year training. (AFNEWS Article, "Charleston AFB Breaks C-17 Flying Record," 12 Dec 05)
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World News for 12 December thanks to Military Periscope.
I will send it when it shows up
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