Quick Hits
It’s Monday in Australia and no one is sure who won the election. Last time I looked Labor had 73 to the conservatives 70 with three seats still undecided. Independents are down to 3 seats and the Greens have 1. The guess/prediction is a 73-73 draw with the winner being the party that promises the independents the best package.
I was off the ‘Net for a while due to more severe than normal thunderstorms this afternoon. When the lightning is close enough to essentially suck the electricity out of your display it is time to shut things down, even if you have battery back-up. So far this month we have had 4 days without rain, 4 days with just rain, and 14 days with thunderstorms. It’s time to find out what an “ell” is and where you get “gopher wood”. The fireants are hoarding magnolia leaves.
5 comments
When the lightning is close enough to essentially suck the electricity out of your display it is time to shut things down, even if you have battery back-up.
Yeah! That’s for sure! Glad you survived m8. 😀
Been reading up on Iran today… They’ve been in our news a lot the past couple weeks, and not just because of their Nuclear power plant. I’ve been saying the past several years that Iran has been on a big R&D weapons program, with help from Russia and others. The past couple weeks, they have been showcasing their newest toys. 🙂
1. Karar (Assailant) Jet Bomber Drone.
Range: 1,000 km
Payload: 4 x Russian designed small stealth cruise missiles, or 2 x 115 kg gravity or precision guided bombs, or 1 x 230 kg precision guided AGM.
2. Successful final test fire of the Qiam (Rising) SSM
3. Final testing of the 3rd gen Fateh (Conqueror) 110 MRBM
4. Delivery of 4 Ghadi shallow draft, stealth, mini-subs carrying either precision torpedo or mines (free floating, anchored or limpet)
5. Starting production of 2 new stealth, armored, high-speed speedboats (Seraj and Zolfaqar) carrying anti-ship or anti-air missiles and machine or mini-guns.
6. Began production of 10 Toufan (Hurricane) combat choppers with advanced combat systems and anti-tank/anti-ship missile systems for the Iranian Navy.
7. Announced production of a new high-speed, high-accuracy ship or land-based CIWS (anti-cruise missile defense system) reportedly capable of 4,000 rounds/min.
8. Final design or pre-production stage for the Mersad and Shahin air/missile defense systems.
9. Other announcements include production or more Nour SSN missiles and the Nasr 1 cruise missile, and the Sejil-2 & Shahab 3 LR SSN’s.
10. The first of the Jamaran guided-missile Destroyers was launched earlier this year, with another being built. It’s armed with Anti-ship, anti-submarine & anti-air missile systems, a naval gun battery, torpedo & mine launchers, CIWS, machine or mini-guns, and a combat or anti-submarine or troop helicopter. It has been deployed in the Persian Gulf.
11. Production of Azarakhsh and new Saegheh (Thunder) fighters has been renewed (it’s assumed that the components and materials have been sourced from the black market). Payloads are unknown, the Saegheh looks somewhat like an F-18.
Iran has also began production of new combat & communications system for field troops. It is also in the process of designing their own satellite system.
So, they have been busy! So much for the trade embargo… 😉 And it’s pretty obvious that Russia is dealing under the table, in spite of what they tell the USA! 😆
Watch this space. 😉
Every time they are threatened they ramp up defense spending. It doesn’t have to be latest generation, because geography is their friend.
There were dozens of top-flight Russian engineers who worked in the Soviet military industrial complex looking for jobs, and would have gone to Iran in a heart-beat. Even if the Russians were on board, transit is simple through the former Central Asian republics, whose officials can be bought for a song.
Anyone who thinks the Chinese aren’t cutting deals hasn’t been paying attention, and Putin doesn’t want the Chinese to have too much control in his backyard.
The Russians know that the Iranians aren’t up to anything. If they were, the Russians would have pulled out long before now because the history of Russian-Persian animosity goes back centuries. Hell, there are dozens of folk songs about it that Russians still sing.
Russia and China have bought into capitalism in a big way, so the US can forget about any real and effective sanctions. Putin doesn’t talk to Ahmadinejad, he talks directly to Khamenei. If the Iranians want to buy, there are plenty of people in the area ready to sell.
The Israelis and Neocons just don’t understand the Iranians – they don’t scare. The Iranians were using mass suicide attacks against the Iraqi army and they will do it again. All of the Persian Gulf oil fields are within range of their weapons and blockading the Strait of Hormuz is a trivial thing for them to do. They are crazy Twelver Shi’ia, so do not screw with them. If they are attacked, they won’t quit.
The last time Persia attacked another country there was no United States, there weren’t even 13 colonies yet. You are talking about the reign of the Stuarts, if not the Tudors.
We should just leave them alone and let them come into the modern world at their own pace. We have enough problems without creating more.
BTW Bryan, if you want a real laugh! Check out this Daily Show episode! PMSL!
(the FAUX morons doing an *expose* of Dem’s funding, and Jon turning the tables brilliantly!) I (and his audience) haven’t laughed so hard in a long time! 😀
The Daily Show – August 18, 2010 – Edward Kohn
Here ya go Bryan… Have a laugh on me! 😉 😀
HOW THE JEWISH LOBBY WORKS
Or… maybe not! 😉 *sigh*
Actually, I found some of the comments interesting. 🙂
It isn’t about Jews, it is really about Israeli and American Likudniks are hiding behind the religion they supposedly follow. They want to equate themselves with the religion, and that is not true.
More and more American Jews are extremely unhappy with Israeli policy, but they feel like it would be wrong to complain publicly. A few, like the J Street project have started to oppose this nonsense, but it is very difficult for the realists to be heard over the noise from the propaganda machine.
Personally, I would remove the American ambassador and stop aid to Israel until they started to get serious about ending the conflict. Until the US government does something that dramatic, the Likud will just stall while they occupy more Palestinian land.