Posts from — November 2008

Ninety years ago at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 the guns fell silent. The Great War, The War to End All Wars, was over…for a couple of decades.

The red poppies of Flanders fields became a symbol of that war and the veterans that returned from it. Known as Remembrance Day in much of the world, the poppies will be in evidence. Remembrance Day observances have more in common with the American Memorial Day as day to honor those who have died in war.

First called Armistice Day in the United States, the name was changed to Veterans Day, and its purpose changed to honoring those who are serving, or have served in the military. The change was made to avoid a conflict with the existing Memorial Day observance that goes back to the Civil War era.

A heart felt salute to everyone who managed to survive basic training. We can hope that sooner, rather than later, there will be no need for another generation to put on uniforms.

Things will be pretty quiet around here as I attempt to finish up some work, having finally discovered what was causing a logjam in my programming efforts [the ever popular assumed knowledge about a configuration file location].

Everyone seems to have calmed down after last week’s frantic pace, and it looks like the tropics are also going quiet for a while.

United States Marine Corps

1775

Once again the BBC reports on a war that has been going on for centuries: Monks brawl at Jerusalem shrine

Israeli police have had to restore order at one of Christianity’s holiest sites after a mass brawl broke out between monks in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Fighting erupted between Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Christ’s crucifixion.

Two monks from each side were detained as dozens of worshippers traded kicks and punches at the shrine, said police.

Trouble flared as Armenians prepared to mark the annual Feast of the Cross.

This is not how one comports themselves at church. Both sides need a time out, about 10 centuries should do, or take their complaints to court. One of those fake TV courts would be appropriate for this juvenile garbage. Maybe we could send them to kindergarten to learn how to share.

I have been watching this to see if there would be more details released, but I think we have most of the relevant information.

The BBC story: Twenty die on Russian submarine

At least 20 people have died in an accident on a Russian nuclear submarine when a fire extinguishing system was activated by mistake.

Russian Pacific Fleet spokesman Igor Dygalo said both sailors and shipyard workers died in the accident, which occurred during sea trials.

The dead were suffocated by freon gas, which is used to put out fires as it removes oxygen from the air.

The vessel was not damaged and there was no radiation leak, Mr Dygalo said.

[Read more →]

Position: 22.0 N 78.0 W [9 PM CST 0300 UTC].
Movement: North [360°] near 3 mph.
Maximum sustained winds: 30 mph [45 kph].
Wind Gusts: 40 mph.
Minimum central pressure: 1007 mb ↑.

It is inland 40 miles [70 km] North of Camaguey, Cuba.

This is the final advisory.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

The BBC prints the obituary: New Zealand opposition wins vote

New Zealand’s opposition National Party has swept to power, ending PM Helen Clark’s nine-year Labour government.

Ms Clark admitted defeat and said she would step down as leader.

National leader John Key said the people had voted for a safer, more prosperous and ambitious New Zealand, but warned of tough times ahead.

Correspondents say Ms Clark has presided over years of strong growth and social reforms, but the economy has gone into recession this year.

The centre-right opposition won 45% of the vote, against 34% for Labour, leaving it just short of an overall majority.

John Key made a lot of money under the “oppressive rules” of Clark’s Labour government, but he would rather go down the same road that is causing the worldwide recession. There is nothing like a recession after nearly a decade of prosperity to make people stupid. Look at the US in 2000.

Position: 20.9 N 77.7 W [9 PM CST 0300 UTC].
Movement: Northeast [055°] near 7 mph.
Maximum sustained winds: 115 mph [185 kph].
Wind Gusts: 140 mph.
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 115 miles [185 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 30 miles [45 km].
Minimum central pressure: 968 mb.

It has made landfall near Santa Cruz del Sur, Cuba and is inland.

A Hurricane Warning remains in effect for the Cuban provinces of Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas, Granma, and Holguin.

[Read more →]

Both Echidne of the Snakes and Bark Bark Woof Woof celebrate their fifth blogiversary™ today.

The BBC reports on the New Zealand elections

It may not rival the US presidential election for high drama, but New Zealand voters going to the polls on Saturday to elect a new government see the choice they are making in much the same terms: more of the same, or time for a change?

The difference is that New Zealand has had nine years of centre-left government led by Helen Clark’s Labour Party. She is now being challenged by a former market trader and self-made millionaire, John Key, who has rejuvenated the centre-right National Party and turned it into a likely election winner.

As they are on the other side of the dateline, it is Saturday afternoon in New Zealand and the voting is under way. The election was called a month ago and they vote on Saturday.

Every four years people forget that they are not voting for President, they are voting for the 538 people who actually get to vote for President. The new President will be elected after those 538 people vote, and their votes are tallied in December, not before.

This is known as the Electoral College, and while the precedent is for them to vote the way their states voted, there is no way of guaranteeing that they do, and nothing is done to them if they don’t. This system frankly sucks, and it is not the way things should be, but the less populous states are not apt to agree to a reasonable change to the Constitution allowing the President to the elected by the people.

Position: 19.3 N 80.5 W [12 AM CST 0600 UTC].
Movement: Northeast [045°] near 6 mph.
Maximum sustained winds: 120 mph [185 kph].
Wind Gusts: 140 mph.
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 115 miles [185 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 30 miles [35 km].
Minimum central pressure: 958 mb ↓.

It is about 40 miles [65 km] Southwest of Little Cayman hurricane force winds and large waves are battering the the Cayman Islands.

A Hurricane Warning remains in effect for the Cayman Islands.

A Hurricane Warning is now in effect for the Cuban provinces of Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, and Las Tunas.

A Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch are now in effect for the Cuban province of Granma.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Zoology

What is it?

[Editor: Leo and Medium Grey investigate a small brown snake lured out of its burrow by the sun.

[Update: Scientifically speaking, what they are annoying is a glass lizard, not a snake. It doesn’t have legs, but it does have movable eyelids and external ear openings. They are called glass lizards because their tails break off easily and regenerate – this allows them to escape from predators.]

Friday Ark

Position: 17.5 N 81.8 W [12 AM CST 0600 UTC].
Movement: North [360°] near 8 mph.
Maximum sustained winds: 75 mph [120 kph].
Wind Gusts: 90 mph.
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 70 miles [110 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 15 miles [30 km].
Minimum central pressure: 987 mb.

It is about 125 miles [200 km] South of Grand Cayman.

At 3 pm CST [2100 UTC] the government of the Cayman Islands has issued a Hurricane Warning for the Cayman Islands.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]