Tuesday, August 31, 2010

President Obama Formally Declares End to Combat Mission in Iraq

President Obama Formally Declares End to Combat Mission in Iraq
Obama’s Tuesday Night Speech From The White House
August 31, 2010
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* NYTimes.com brings us the following report and it starts off like this...
President Obama formally declared an end to the combat mission in Iraq Tuesday night, telling the nation that, after seven years of war that claimed more than 4,400 American lives, it is ‘’time to turn the page’’ toward another war, Afghanistan, and toward pressing problems at home...
Read the rest at link below...
Obama Declares End to U.S. Iraq Combat
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What a suck of a Speech, Obama!!!
AubreyJ.........

Monday, August 30, 2010

Videos: Iraq - One Mile Sniper Kill Shot

- Iraq -
April 9th, 2004
One Mile Sniper Kill Shot

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Was going to place the video here but sadly their code didn't work, sooo...
Sorry about that...
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Above clip originally from the History Channel: .50 cal sniper... 1 mile kill shot... Skill to kill
Watch more videos at Military.com

Submitted to Military.com by: Video Blogger

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Want those guys in my Deer Lease!
AubreyJ.........

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Hurricane Katrina - Reflections - Five Years Ago Today

Hurricane Katrina
Five Years Ago Today
Sunday, August 29, 2010
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* Reflections *

Posted on YouTube by AubreyJ818
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Today marks the Five-Year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina that hit the U.S. Gulf Coast, destroying much of the region, including the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.
In memory off...
AubreyJ.........

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Glen Beck’s Saturday “Restoring Honor” Rally

From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial...
Fox News’ Glen Beck and his Saturday “Restoring Honor” Rally was a celebration of the military, patriotism and American heritage

Saturday, August 28, 2010
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* WashingtonPost.com brings us the following report this early Saturday afternoon and it starts off like this... A sea of people rallied on the hallowed steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday as conservative commentator Glenn Beck and other heroes of the "tea party" movement honored Americans serving in the military and delivered stirring calls to turn the nation back to God and to protect the traditional values that they said make the country exceptional...
Read the full report at link below...
Beck, Palin tell thousands to 'restore America'
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* Bloomberg.com reports it this way... Fox News commentator Glenn Beck and TeaText Color Party heroine Sarah Palin exhorted tens of thousands of fans and activists gathered on the National Mall in Washington to embrace the nation’s tradition of religion as part of their decision-making and daily life... “Something beyond imagination is happening,” Beck said. “America today begins to turn back to God.”...
Read the full report at link below...
Beck, Palin Stress God, Country as Tea Party Activists Rally in Washington
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Beck: America Is Turning "Back to God

About Video: From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, broadcaster Glenn Beck has told a crowd of tens of thousands... [more like near ½ a million] people gathering on the National Mall that their country has "wandered in darkness" for too long. (Aug. 28th)
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Palin: "We Must Restore America"

About Video: Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin greeted by chants of "USA, USA, USA" from many in the crowd, told the gathering, "It is so humbling to get to be here with you today, patriots. You who are motivated and engaged ... and knowing never to retreat." (Aug. 28th)
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Both above News Videos posted on You Tube by AssociatedPress

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It is going to be interesting to watch how the MSM reports... or underreports / downplays this event over the next few days.
Damn... there was a LOT of people there! As the above videos show...
AubreyJ.........

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Post Update:
4:30pm CDT
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> Politico.com reports... How many people jammed the National Mall Saturday to take part in Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally? Tens of thousands? Certainly. One hundred thousand? Perhaps. Half a million? No one can really say for sure...
Read the rest at link below...
Glenn Beck rally drew a crowd. But how big?

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> The Wall Street Journal has the following report posted up on their website this Saturday afternoon and it goes in part like this... The Beck rally organizers say the event is a fund-raiser for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a Tampa, Fla.,-based group that gives scholarship grants to the children of special-operations soldiers killed in battle. The group, which took in $5.7 million in contributions last year, also is paying for the event, which is expected to cost at least $2 million. The foundation's website says it is currently providing educational grants to more than 800 children... Mr. Beck said at the end of the rally Saturday that $5.5 million had been raised...
Read the full report at link below...
Beck, Palin Stress 'Honor' at Rally
Above link has slide and video
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>
WashingtonPost.com reports...
Networks take different paths in covering Glenn Beck 'Restoring Honor' rally
Very nice Slideshow at link above or click HERE to view

Monday, August 23, 2010

Iran: On Ground Updates - August 23, 2010

Iran: On Ground Updates
Monday
, August 23, 2010
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* PressTV.ir has the following report early Monday and it starts off like this... Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has taunted the Israeli regime as "too weak to attack Iran," promising a crushing response against any aggression... "Israel is too weak to stage a military strike against Iran, but if it attacks, it will receive a devastating response, which will make it regret its aggression," said President Ahmadinejad in a televised interview with Al-Jazeera TV Network on Sunday...
Read the rest at link below...
'Israel too weak to attack Iran'
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* The Australian has the following report posted up on their website today... IRAN has unveiled a high-speed drone with a range of more than 1000km, described by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a "messenger of death"... A day after Israel denounced as "unacceptable" the supply of Russian uranium rods for Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor, Mr. Ahmadinejad personally presented a pilotless, jet-powered bomber Iran says can air-launch guided missiles or deliver two 100kg bombs... The weapon's purported range would not reach Israel from Iran, but would vastly increase the threat posed to Israeli targets if supplied to Iranian-backed terrorist groups in Lebanon or Syria... Mr. Ahmadinejad seldom wastes a chance to combine showmanship and barely coherent rhetoric and yesterday was no exception. "This jet, before it heralds death for enemies, is a messenger of salvation and dignity for humanity," he told an invited audience...
Read the full report at link below...
Iranian drone bomber guards nuke sites

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AubreyJ.........

Friday, August 20, 2010

NASA pushing ahead with work on Orion Space Capsule and Ares Rockets

NASA pushes ahead with work on new Orion space capsule and Ares rockets despite ambiguous status
Friday, August 20, 2010
. Image credit: NASA
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* FoxNews.com brings us the following good read today and it starts off like this... NASA is pushing ahead with work on its new Orion space capsule and Ares rockets despite their ambiguous status as lawmakers discuss the agency's 2011 budget request... Orion and Ares are part of Constellation, a NASA program designed to take astronauts back to the moon. Under his 2011 budget proposal, President Barack Obama called for canceling Constellation and urged NASA to work toward sending humans to an asteroid and then on to Mars... The outlook for Constellation's fledgling rocket and capsule spacecraft is not clear. Obama did recommend continuing development of Orion -- but only as an escape ship that could carry astronauts home from the International Space Station in an emergency... A NASA authorization bill recently passed by the Senate would direct the space agency to continue developing Orion and to fast-track plans for heavy-lift rockets and vehicles required for space exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. A different bill under consideration in the House also seeks to revive some Constellation plans, including Orion and the Ares rockets...
Read the rest at link below...

Work Continues on New NASA Spaceships, Despite Uncertainties
Watch Slideshows below...
> The Orion Spacecraft Slideshow
> Ares I-X: Launch Vehicle Slideshow

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AubreyJ.........

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Photo for the Day - August 18, 2010

* Photo for the Day * Last combat brigade to leave Iraq makes symbolic final convoy
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Stryker armored vehicles with 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, line up at a fueling site here Aug. 17 to receive fuel before heading out on a two-day mission to exit Iraq through Kuwait, the same way American troops entered the country nearly seven years ago.
Read more at post below or click HERE
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Image credit: Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth-4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
Info/mage taken from the DVIDS website

On Ground Updates: Iraq - August 18, 2010

On Ground Updates: Iraq
Last U.S. Combat Brigade Leaves Iraq
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
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Last combat brigade to leave Iraq makes symbolic final convoy
4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth

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CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Through the dusty driver’s side window, Pfc. Thomas Johnson could see the final stretch of dirt road leading to the Iraq border.
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As one of the lead elements in a company-size formation of Stryker armored vehicles, Johnson and Spc. Adam Porter—both combat engineers with 38th Engineer Company, attached to 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division—had driven collectively more than 400 miles on the unruly and sometimes deadly roads from here to Kuwait in a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle.
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Pfc. Thomas Johnson, a combat engineer with 38th Engineer Company, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, checks the oil levels of his Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle Aug. 18th. Johnson, a Phoenix, native, and a fellow soldier drove the MRAP in front of a formation of Stryker armored vehicles all the way to the Iraq border to provide route clearance and ensure that the unit’s exit near the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom was successful.

Photo by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbartk
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Soldiers of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team have just completed a yearlong tour supporting U.S. Division-Center area of operations in and around Baghdad, assisting, training and advising the Iraqi security forces.
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As a memoir of the last combat brigade in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the rest of the crew said their final goodbyes to Iraq into their digital cameras before entering Kuwait and ending their final deployment to Iraq.
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The team of combat engineers helped clear the way for the symbolic convoy out of Iraq, reminiscent of U.S. forces first pushing into Iraq at the beginning of OIF in 2003, driving down a route similar to the one service members entered the country through several years prior. The nearly seven-year conflict came to an end as the last tires crossed the border into Kuwait, ushering in Operation New Dawn and marking a new beginning for the people of Iraq.
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Most soldiers, including Johnson and Porter, said they did not expect to be behind the steering wheel, leaving Iraq by ground vehicle to make the drive to Kuwait.
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“I thought we’d fly out of here,” Porter said.
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The longing to redeploy eventually wore down soldiers in the brigade to the point where the mode of exit no longer mattered, so long as it meant they were returning home soon.
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While people in the back of Strykers and MRAPs had the opportunity to nap during the two-day trip, the gunners, drivers and vehicle commanders stayed awake, focused and alert to their surroundings. Energy drinks, daytime naps and casual conversations among crew members kept the weary drivers going.
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“I was thinking about doing my job proficiently and getting everybody there safely,” Johnson said. “If I don’t get everyone there safely, then we fail the mission. And I’m all about completing the mission,” he said, mentioning that part of his mission was returning home to his wife.
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The team made it without sustaining any attacks, which is a major improvement from veteran combat engineers’ experiences during earlier OIF rotations.
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Because security has improved over time as Iraq has become more stable, certain aspects of later deployment cycles have changed as well.
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“Yeah, we trained to kick in doors, we trained to clear buildings, we trained to react to contact, but every single one of us knew what we were going to be doing—riding in a truck looking for [improvised explosive devices],” Porter said.
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For Johnson, a Phoenix native, and Porter, an Ashland, Wisc., native, training for driving the Buffalo-style MRAP, a large vehicle with a mechanical arm for interrogating potential IEDs and threats, began during the brigade's June rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La.
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Soldiers trained on a 5-ton truck frame with a Buffalo cab welded onto it. It was not until arriving in Iraq they had an opportunity to get behind the wheel of the real thing.
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A year later, as Johnson drove his team past the gates leading out of Iraq and concluding their last patrol in Iraq, he said he felt a long-awaited feeling.
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“It's a feeling of success that you did what you were expected to do for a whole entire year, then coming to the end of your tour and finishing it out strong,” he said.

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Here’s a report written and posted last week
Last American combat brigade departs
Written by Spc. Luisito Brooks and Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division - Originally posted Tuesday, August 10, 2010
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FOB CONSTITUTION – Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of United States Forces – Iraq, and the Iraqi Minister of Defense, Abdel Qader Jassim, and other U.S. and Iraqi leaders watched yesterday as a joint color guard marched crisply across the parade field here to where their unit and national flags were displayed.

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Col. John Norris, commander, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, gives a speech alongside his counterpart, Staff Maj. Gen. Ahmed, commander, 6th IA Division, during the brigade’s farewell ceremony at Forward Operating Base Constitution, Aug. 7, 2010.
USF-I photo
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The U.S. Soldiers, members of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division “Raiders,” knelt and removed the American flags from the display. After executing a left face, the detail marched off the field from the direction they came, leaving only the 6th Iraqi Army Division and Iraqi flag remaining on the field.
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This gesture—symbolizing the departure of the Raider Brigade and the commitment of Iraqi Security Forces to the people of Iraq—brought the 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. one step closer to the end of their yearlong deployment as the last combat brigade to serve here in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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By Aug. 31, all U.S. combat missions in Iraq will end, and the 50,000 U.S. troops remaining in country under Operation New Dawn will move toward stability operations, advising, training and assisting the ISF in building civil capacity.
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The Aug. 7 departure ceremony, hosted by the 6th IA Div. served as both a farewell to the Raider Brigade and a look at the capabilities of the Iraqi Soldiers who will be assuming full responsibility for the area.
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Col. John Norris, commander of 4th SBCT, stood alongside Staff Maj. Gen. Ahmed, commander the 6th IA Div., and thanked the guests in attendance for joining him in celebrating what he called, “a new chapter in the ongoing story that is Iraq’s strategic partnership.”
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“Together, we have forged strong bonds of partnership and unity of effort, where the Iraqi government, the Iraqi Army and Police are connected to the people, partnered with the Federal Police, as well as the Traffic and Patrol Police forces, Sons of Iraq, [and] along with the United States Military and Department of State, created irreversible momentum toward a peaceful and prosperous Iraq,” Ahmed said.
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The 4th SBCT Soldiers’ focus in Iraq was on building a strong partnership with the ISF to ensure the security of the March 7 Iraqi national elections and improving the overall quality of life for the Iraqi people.
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Arriving in country in September 2009, the brigade immediately began partnering with local ISF leadership to gain a sense of their Iraqi partners’ capabilities and relationships with community leaders and other Iraqi security organizations.
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Among their many achievements, 4th SBCT Soldiers introduced military working dogs to the ISF—a program that had been unsuccessful until the Raiders’ arrived— improving their ability to uncover weapons, explosives and other illegal items during raids and searches.
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The latest in evidence collection and other forensic techniques was also taught to the ISF, allowing for improved site exploitation after terrorist attacks and led to the first warrant using DNA evidence to be issued in Iraq’s history.
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Raider Soldiers, in conjunction with two embedded Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and partners in the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Army Corps of Engineers, strived to continue the development and reconstruction of western Baghdad, Abu Ghraib, Tajiand and Tarmiyah.
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A few hundred feet away from where the departure ceremony took place was the FOB Constitution Joint Operations Center, where Norris and his ISF partners monitored the Iraqi national elections, accessing the latest on-the-ground information from polling sites throughout western Baghdad.
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Another key achievement during th deployment was helping the IA expand the JOC concept to include the Iraqi Police, where they could share the latest intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information in a centralized location.
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“Together, this collective group has more successes than I can list here today, but one that I will highlight as a prime example of the strength of this partnership is the national election conducted in March,” Norris said. “After weeks of detailed preparation, long hours and security in place ... the Iraqi national elections commenced with a record turnout.”
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Norris said more than 60 percent of Iraqi citizens went to the polls to cast their ballot, showing solidarity against violent extremist groups.
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“I am confident that the Iraqi government will move forward, and that the hopes and the dreams of a free and stable Iraq will become a reality,” he said.
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In a display for gathered dignitaries, 6th IA Soldiers presented several demonstrations showing their capabilities in handling a variety of real-world situations they may encounter.
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Iraqi Soldiers cleared and secured a building, set up a traffic control point, neutralized an improvised explosive device using a remote-controlled robot and partnered with Raider Soldiers to show off hand-to-hand combat techniques.
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For the Raider Soldiers, the departure ceremony marked the end of a job well done that will have a lasting impact on the people of Iraq.
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“We depart having accomplished our mission to the fullest of our ability, with honor and respect [and] the Raider Brigade’s legacy and reputation intact,” Norris said. “This is only the beginning of Iraq’s continued success and forward progress.”


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YAHOOOOOOOO!
And may I be one of the first to say ‘Welcome Home... when you finally set foot back in the states... and job well done...
AubreyJ.........

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Iraq: On Ground Updates - August 17, 2010

Iraq: On Ground Updates
Suicide bombing outside Baghdad army headquarters won't halt Iraq's transition to democracy - or U.S. troop withdrawal White House says
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
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* AP brings us the follow report on Iraq today and it starts off like this... The deadly suicide bombing outside a Baghdad army headquarters won't halt Iraq's transition to democracy - or the U.S. troop withdrawal, the White House said Tuesday... Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said both are "firmly on track."... U.S. troops in Iraq are scheduled to end their role in major combat operations by the end of the month. The remaining force of 50,000 is to focus on training, backup and counterterrorism... Tuesday's blast, which killed dozens of recruits waiting to enlist, was one of the bloodiest in months...
Read the full report at link below...
White House: Blast won't derail Iraq transition

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Iraq suicide bomb blows up army recruitment center


About this short News Video: Soldiers and army recruits among dead after suicide bomber attacks a military recruitment center in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
This Video posted on YouTube by itnnews /August 17, 2010
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AubreyJ.........

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Israel: ON Ground Updates - August 14, 2010

Israel: ON Ground Updates
Prime Minister Netanyahu set to make Israel a Space Superpower
Saturday, August 14, 2010
. Image credit: Israel Aerospace Industries
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* The Jerusalem Post had the following good read posted up on their website Friday and it starts off like this... Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is set to approve an ambitious plan to turn Israel into a satellite superpower. According to details obtained by The Jerusalem Post, the aim is to increase sales of Israeli space platforms to nearly $8 billion a year... The multi-year plan calls for the government to annually increase support for space research and development by several hundred million shekels. This investment would focus on new platforms - primarily Israel’s niche market in “mini satellites” - intended to yield billions in sales...
Read the rest at link below...
Israel aims to be space superpower
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AubreyJ.........

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Israel: On Ground Updates - August 12, 2010

Israel: On Ground Updates
From this past January to end of July, 2010, 120 rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza
Thursday, August 12, 2010
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* IDF brings us the following report and it goes in part like this... The number of rockets and mortars launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip has dramatically reduced after Operation Cast Lead from December 2008-January 2009, during which the IDF acted to prevent Hamas and other terrorist groups from firing rockets at Israel. In 2008 and during Operation Cast Lead, 3,684 projectiles were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip. That number was reduced to 302 for the entire year of 2009 following the Gaza operation. Despite this sharp reduction, rockets from the Gaza Strip continue to be fired at Israel...
Read the full report at link below...
Rockets From Gaza Continue to be Fired at Israel in 2010

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AubreyJ.........

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens & former NASA Chief Sean O’Keefe were on board deadly plane crash near Dillingham, Alaska Monday night

Deadly airplane crash near Dillingham, Alaska Monday night in Alaska - NTSB says 5 of 9 onboard dead - Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and former NASA Chief Sean O’Keefe were on board, their condition unknown
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
11:30am CDT
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NTSB LAUNCHES TEAM TO INVESTIGATE AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT IN ALASKA
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The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a Go Team to investigate last night's airplane crash near Dillingham, Alaska.
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At about 8:00pm Alaska Daylight Time, a DeHavilland DHC-3T (N455A) crashed 10 miles northwest of Aleknagik, Alaska. Reports are that 5 of the 9 persons on board died in the accident.
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Senior air safety investigator Clint Johnson, from the NTSB's Anchorage regional office, will serve as Investigator-in-Charge. He will be assisted by investigators from the Alaska office and from NTSB headquarters in Washington, D.C.
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NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman is accompanying the team and will serve as spokesperson for the on-scene investigation. Terry Williams is the NTSB press officer traveling with the team. The full team is expected to arrive in Dillingham around mid-day today.
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Contact information for the team will be released when it is available...
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NTSB Press Contact:
(In Washington)
Keith Holloway
keith.holloway@ntsb.gov
202-314-6100 / 202-314-6100
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NTSB
National Transportation Safety Board

http://www.ntsb.gov/
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-- UPDATE --
11:50am CDT
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* Local Alaska news agencies are now sadly reporting that former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens is one of the dead
But...
>
Source of KTUU report that Stevens is dead says he isn't sure
Read more
HERE

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-- UPDATE --
6:50pm CDT
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Family spokesman confirms Ted Stevens was among the five reported dead - Former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and his son, Kevin have been reported as injured
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* FoxNews.com brings us the following report that goes in part like this... Former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, one of the longest-serving senators in U.S. history and a tireless advocate for his state, was killed Monday in a plane crash southwest of Anchorage... Former chief of staff Mitch Rose, a spokesman for the family, confirmed to Fox News that Stevens was among the five dead. He was 86...
Read the rest HERE
Above link has news video
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AubreyJ.........

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Tiger Woods, “It’s been a long year”

“It’s been a long year”
Tiger Woods
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Tiger Woods - USA file photo by Tim Hipps
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After shooting a round of 77 Sunday at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Tiger was asked by one reporter if he was surprised... Tiger answered he was not surprised... “It’s been a long year”
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No other words needed, Tiger. No other words needed...
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Just keep after it... It will all come back to ya soon enough and there is many of us out here who will enjoy when the old/NEW Tiger is back... at last.
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AubreyJ.........

Saturday, August 07, 2010

Photo for the Day - August 07, 2010

* Photo for the Day *- Watching History Unfold -
Guests look on from the terrace of Operations Support Building II as Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on the shuttle program's last planned night launch. Endeavour’s launch from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A began the STS-130 mission February 8, 2010. Mission STS-130 delivered a third connecting module, the Italian-built Tranquility node and a seven-windowed cupola, which is now being used as a control room for robotics, to the International Space Station.

Image Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers
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For all you space buffs out there...
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- Space Shuttle Discovery's final Spaceflight -
During the upcoming Space Shuttle Discovery's final spaceflight, (in other words, Discovery will fly no more... EVER after this mission,) the STS-133 crew members will take important spare parts to the International Space Station along with the Express Logistics Carrier-4.
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Another COOL cargo to go up with this mission will be “Robonaut 2”, the latest generation of the Robonaut astronaut helpers and will be the first humanoid robot in space.
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Read more about “Robonaut 2”, with videos/photos HERE
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As of today, Saturday, August 07, 2010, Discovery is being readied for flight inside Kennedy's Orbiter Processing Facility-3 while its solid rocket boosters are stacked inside the near by Vehicle Assembly Building.
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Discovery STS-133 is slated to launch November 1st
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Read latest news on Space Shuttle Discovery’s final spaceflight HERE
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Note: I’ll be posting MUCH on this final flight/mission of Discovery so check back!
AubreyJ.........

Thursday, August 05, 2010

Iraq: On Ground Updates - August 05, 2010

Iraq: On Ground Updates
In first interview since fall of Baghdad, Tariq Aziz accuses Barack Obama of 'leaving Iraq to the wolves'
Thursday, August 05, 2010
.Image by DoD - (From DoD’s famous Iraq Deck of Cards)
See my video of the full Deck of Cards HERE
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* Guardian.co.uk brings us the following report and it goes in part like this... Saddam Hussein's most loyal deputy, Tariq Aziz, has accused Barack Obama of 'leaving Iraq to the wolves' by pressing ahead with a withdrawal of combat troops in the face of festering instability and a surge in violence... In his first interview since he was captured shortly after the fall of Baghdad more than seven years ago, Iraq's former deputy prime minister and long-time face to the world said the United States would cause the death of Iraq if it continued to withdraw its combat forces... "We are all victims of America and Britain," he told the Guardian from his prison cell in Baghdad. "They killed our country in many ways. When you make a mistake you need to correct a mistake, not leave Iraq to its death."...
Read the rest at link below...
Saddam Hussein deputy Tariq Aziz calls for US forces to stay in Iraq

.Note: You can read the full interview with Tariq Aziz in tomorrow's Guardian - I’ll update this post Friday with the new link and more on topic so... Check Back!
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POST UPDATE:
Friday, August 06, 2010
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Tariq Aziz: 'Britain and the US killed Iraq. I wish I was martyred'
Read Martin Chulov's full interview with Tariq Aziz here
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I believe little, if anything... this man says. As far as I’m concerned... he DOES have blood on his hands of the many a 100,000 of innocent people, in and around Iraq, over the so many years under the Saddam reign... This man, Tariq Aziz, this monster... was not only part of... but was one of the main heads!!!
Guilt by association my butt...
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In future trials on this man... and they will most likely be forthcoming.... I can only pray that the guilt of this man is proven in a court of law, by the Iraqis, without a doubt... and that he gets his due...
Hang-um High!!!
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Funny though... As of right now, no one in the lamestream media is reporting any point of view like mine... I KNOW I’m not alone with having this line of thought... or am I?
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AubreyJ.........

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Israel: On Ground Updates - August 03, 2010

Israel: On Ground Updates
Senior IDF Commander Killed In Israel-Lebanon Border Clash
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
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* VOANews.com brings us the following troubling news this Tuesday morning and their report starts off like this... Lebanese and Israeli troops have exchanged fire along their border in a battle that Lebanese officials say killed four people on their side and wounded several Israelis... Tuesday's fighting is the most serious in the area since Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group fought a month-long war in 2006...
Read the rest at link below...
4 Lebanese Killed in Fighting on Border with Israel
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* SKY News has the following report up on their website today with News Video, photos and more. Click it out at link below...
Soldiers Die In Israel-Lebanon Border Clash
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* YNETNews.com brings us the latest and most up to date report...
Cleared for publication: IDF Lieutenant Colonel Dov Harari killed in border skirmish with Lebanese army Tuesday... Another Commander seriously wounded. Troops stepped into planned ambush, army says...
Read this report in full at link below...
Lethal clash: Senior IDF commander killed in border skirmish
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IDF has the following report posted up on their website this Tuesday afternoon...
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Breaking News: IDF Officer Killed as Lebanon Opens Fire on Northern Border

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Lt. Col. Dov Harari was shot and killed on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 3) as LAF opened fire at an IDF force operating inside Israeli territory on the northern border in accordance with UN.
Last update 18:31 - Written by Elana Kieffer The soldier who was critically wounded by Lebanese gunfire was medivacked to Haifa's Rambam hospital. IDF Photo by Shay Vaknin
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The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) fired at an IDF position in the Israeli side of the border along the Lebanese border in northern Israel on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 3). The Israeli soldiers who were fired on had been in Israeli territory, carrying out routine maintenance which had been coordinated ahead of time with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is the peacekeeping force created by the UN Security Council in March 1978 following Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

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Lt. Col. Dov Harari (45) from Netanya was killed by the LAF during this incident. Harari served as a battalion commander. Capt. Ezra Lakia (30) from Kfar Ha'Rif sustained severe injuries in the same incident. Capt. Lakia served as a platoon commander.
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The border area is west of the Israeli town of Misgav Am. The incident occurred east of the internationally recognized “Blue Line”, the border between Israel and Lebanon, and west of the security fence, thus lying within Israeli territory.
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The IDF force immediately returned fire to an LAF force. Several minutes later an Israel Air Force (IAF) helicopter fired at the LAF Battalion Command Center in Al-Taybeh, damaging several LAF armored combat vehicles.
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The IDF holds the LAF responsible for the incident that disrupted the calm in the region, and its consequences.
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Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, arrived at Israel's northern border and has been closely following the events as they unfold. He is currently holding situation assessment meetings with the Commander of IDF's Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, as well as the Commander of the Galilee Regional Division and additional commanders.
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Since the conclusion of the Second Lebanon War over four years ago, three incidents of firing towards Israeli territory have been recorded, and terrorist organizations have claimed responsibility for each of these incidents.
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There have also been two recorded incidents of Lebanon violating the Blue Line. First, in a cross border raid in October 2000, Hezbollah forces abducted and killed three IDF soldiers, Sgt. First Class Adi Avitan (22), Sgt. First Class Benyamin Avraham (21), and Sgt. First Class Omar Sawaid (27), who at the time had been patrolling on the Israeli side of the border demarcation.
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In an additional cross border raid in 2006, Hezbollah forces attacked two Israeli armored Hum-vees which were located within the Israeli side of the border. As a result, seven IDF soldiers were killed, two were wounded, and Sgt. First Class Ehud Goldwasser and Sgt. First Class Eldad Regev were abducted and killed.
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Photo gallery: Unrest on the border
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Post Update:
Wednesday
, August 04, 2010
9:00pm CDT
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* NewsBlaze.com brings us the following report and it starts off like this... A Lebanese military spokesman said Wednesday (Aug. 4) that the Lebanese army was first to open fire in a border ambush that occurred the previous day. The attack killed six people: four Lebanese soldiers, a journalist affiliated with Hezbollah and an Israeli officer; a Lebanese journalist, also affiliated with Hezbollah, was wounded, as was an Israeli soldier... This is the third attack on Israel in the past week, highlighting the threats Israel faces on all its borders. A rocket was fired into the Israeli city of Ashkelon by Gaza militants, and rockets were fired toward the southern city of Eilat, killing a Jordanian civilian and wounding three others... Lebanese journalists and photographers knew in advance of the Lebanese army's plans to ambush IDF soldiers as they conducted routine maintenance work, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)...
Read the rest of this report in full at link below...
Lebanese Army First to Open Fire on IDF, Planned Ambush

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* Ynet.com has this follow-up and it goes in part like this... The Lebanese army's fire on IDF troops working on Israel's northern border was "wholly unjustified and unwarranted," US State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley said Wednesday.
Read the rest at link below...
US: Lebanese fire unjustified, unwarranted

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AubreyJ.........

Sunday, August 01, 2010

Iran: On Ground Updates - August 01, 2010

Iran: On Ground Updates
"The military options have been on the table and remain on the table," says Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Sunday, August 01, 2010
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* SKY.com brings us the following report today and it goes in part like this... Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a plan does exist - although he thought a strike was probably a bad idea... Such an attack would only be launched to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, he added... The American officer has often warned that a military strike would have serious and unpredictable consequences across the Middle East... However, he also said the risk of the country acquiring a nuclear weapon was unacceptable...
Read the full report at link below...
Iran Attack Strategy 'Is Ready If Needed'
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NBC Meet the Press - Mullen: U.S. Has Iran Strike Plan


About this News Video: Admiral Mike Mullen discusses the ripple effects of a military strike on the Islamic republic with David Gregory on “Meet the Press.
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Click HERE for Meet the Press transcript, August 1, 2010
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AubreyJ.........