On a very busy day for us, I took time out to photograph these beautiful Asian lilies which we have on our table this weekend. They were so pretty, I had to stop and get this shot.
September 2006
News Links
Here’s a few current news items that sparked our interest:
From CNS News
California Tackles Global Warming – At a Cost, Some Say
California Governor Vetoes Two More ‘Gay Agenda’ Bills
‘Gun-Free School Zones’ Blamed for Tragedy
From sacbee.com (Note – Damsel brought to my attention that the sacbee site requires a free signup to view their articles.)
Europe Greener in Spite of Climate Worries
The Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change recently reviewed a study by European scientists to estimate changes in vegetation in the European continent between 1982 and 1999. The Center published an online report analyzing the study entitled Land Surface Temperatures and Plant Productivity of Europe: 1982-1999. The report deflates global warming and greenhouse gas disaster claims made by alarmists and political opportunists. The Center’s conclusion is as follows:
Considering the results in total, the Dutch and Spanish researchers conclude that, over the last two decades of the 20th century, “Europe as a whole has a tendency to greening,” and much of it is “seeing an increase in its wood land proportion.”
Within the context of today’s obsession over the ongoing rise in the air’s CO2 content and the many environmental catastrophes it has been predicted to produce, this observation is rather remarkable, in view of the fact that the world’s climate alarmists claim the CO2-induced global warming of the last two decades of the 20th century was unprecedented over the last two millennia, and that this phenomenon is claimed to be the greatest threat ever to be faced by the planet (worse, even, than nuclear warfare and global terrorism).
Apparently the climate and vegetation of Europe have not been informed that their recent actions are not politically correct!
The Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change operates an excellent website that features a new lineup of articles every Wednesday. Please have a look at this interesting and informative website.
Visit the Climate and Global Warming Archive
There IS Good News
Taken from the front page of DEFEND AMERICA:
British Forces Kill Escaped al-Qaida Terrorist
BAGHDAD, Sept. 27, 2006 — British forces in Iraq say they have killed a leading al-Qaida terrorist who escaped from a U.S. prison in Afghanistan last year.Terrorist Bomb Expert Captured in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2006 — Afghan and coalition forces captured a known makeshift bomb expert and terrorist cell leader today during an operation south of Asadabad, U.S. military officials reported.Weapons Cache Found Near Kathamayan Mosque
BAGHDAD, Sept. 27, 2006 — After several tips from local citizens, Iraqi Special Operations Forces had been given the mission to move on a weapons cache near the Kathamayan Mosque, while U.S. Army soldiers secured the outer cordon and provided observation teams.Deployed ‘Doc’ Mends Bodies and Minds in Iraq
HUSAYBA, Iraq, Sept. 27, 2006 — U.S. Navy Seaman Samuel L. Blanco is a healer. The hospital corpsman geared up in body armor has a bag of tricks he carries that?s not just healing wounds but also relations and trust between Americans and local Iraqis.MP Brigade Takes Charge of Detainee Operations
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Sept. 26, 2006 — Control of theater-level detainee operations for Coalition forces in Iraq changed hands today, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne) from Fort Bragg N.C., taking the helm.
Chances are you will not see or hear these stories anywhere else, so go over and check ’em out!
Terrell Owens Suicide Attempt
This just makes no sense at all . . .
From Fox News:
DALLAS — Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens attempted suicide Tuesday night by overdosing on pain medication, according to a police report.
The report says Owens even put two more pills into his mouth after fire rescue personnel arrived, according to local media.
The Dallas police report released Wednesday morning said Owens told rescue workers “that he was depressed.” The report was first released by WFAA-TV.
UPDATE: Owens says it was an allergic reaction – not suicide. Looks forward to playing on Sunday. Dallas is very important to him.
Oh yeah? Is that why he went and stood taunting and gloating on the Irving stadium star after making touchdowns as a 49er? I forget the Cowboy’s name who decked him the second time he did that.
Clinton’s Nose Just Keeps On Growing
During the recent interview of former president Bill Clinton by Chris Wallace of Fox News, Clinton asserted that he “left a detailed plan” for the Bush administration for dealing with terrorism:
When I failed I left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy and the best guy in the country, Dick Clarke!
I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you asked why didn’t you do anything about the Cole. I want to know how many you asked why did you fire Dick Clarke.
During an interview yesterday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said this about Clinton’s remarks:
“What we did in the eight months was at least as aggressive as what the Clinton administration did in the preceding years,” Rice said Monday during a meeting with editors and reporters at the New York Post.
Rice took exception to Clinton’s statement that he “left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy” for incoming officials when he left office.
“We were not left a comprehensive strategy to fight Al Qaeda,” she told the newspaper, which is owned by News Corp., which also owns FOX News Channel.
Rice said Clarke “left when he did not become deputy director of homeland security.”
Once again, the Clintons attempt to rewrite history and sweep their dirty little business under the carpet. (Emphasis added by Damsel.)
Photoshop of Clinton by David Lunde via Michelle Malkin.
Update: Rewriting History Clinton Style (Cox & Forkum):
A Historical Look at Torrance Airport
Sunday, Damsel and I attended a book signing in the old Torrance Library, now the Torrance Historical Society Museum, in Downtown Torrance, California. The book we were having signed is Images in Aviation — Torrance Airport written by my long-time friend and former colleague, Chuck Lobb. We enjoyed a nice visit with Chuck and were happy to see him doing well with his book.
Image: Chuck holding the book he signed for us. Photo Credit: Damsel
I just started reading the book today, and as a long-time flyer in the Southern California area, I look forward to learning all about the airport’s history.
Amazon link to Torrance Airport book.
Book Description
Californians were panicked by the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941, and civilian flights within 200 miles of the coast were immediately terminated. Airfields were commandeered and new ones hastily built. One of these was the Lomita Flight Strip, known today as Zamperini Field, the Torrance Municipal Airport, or TOA. This 490-acre parcel sent four squadrons of P-38 fighter pilots off to war with one commanded by the judge of the Charles Manson trial, an ex-Flying Tiger. Six other pilots became generals, two became commandants of cadets at the Air Force Academy, and one became the only fighter pilot with combat victories in both World War II and the Vietnam War. Japanese Americans returning from World War II internment camps found temporary housing at the field, and the world’s largest manufacturer of civilian helicopters settled there in 1973. The first runway takeoff of a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft was pioneered at TOA, and aerobatic champ Bob Herendeen trained at the site.
About the Author
Charles Lobb is a Federal Aviation Administration certified flight instructor and unofficial historian for Zamperini Field, the Torrance Municipal Airport. Over a 10-year period, he has combed through federal archives and private collections for vintage and compelling photographs, many published here for the first time.