Army Ground Combat Vehicle Back On Track, Program Chief Says
February 23, 2012
FT. LAUDERDALE: The Army's Ground Combat Vehicle is back on schedule despite a nearly nine-month delay due to an industry protest bid, according to the top officer in charge of the effort.
The Army says it is in position to have a GCV platform in production within the next seven years, Project Manager Col. Andrew DiMarco told reporters at a briefing during a Association of the U.S. Army conference here. That plan, which calls for two to three years of testing and a four-year engineering and manufacturing development phase, is the same benchmark service leaders set for the program back in 2009. Currently program officials are conducting preliminary evaluations on a number of vehicles at the Army's test facility in White Sands, NM, DiMarco. Those results will feed into the follow on EMD portion of the program. "It's a good mix of [all] ends of the [vehicle] spectrum," he said of the vehicle pool being reviewed. The Army's recent confidence in the GCV effort is a far cry from the troubles the program endured last year.
The program was brought to a halt last August, when a industry team led by Boeing and SAIC filed a protest against the service's decision to award General Dynamics and BAE Systems GCV development deals. The protest bid, which ended up delaying work on the program for over nine months, came less than a week after the Army issued the awards. The Government Accountability Office officially denied the protest last December. On top of that, the Army and the Pentagon had been sparring over the program's total cost. At the time, Army estimates for the total GCV costs, including operations and maintenance, has the service spending between $11 to $13 million per vehicle, DiMarco said. Analysis done by the Pentagon's Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office has that number closer to $16 to $17 million per copy. A day after awarding the GCV deals, DiMarco told reporters the service would cancel the GCV if program costs exceeded the $10.5 billion per vehicle price tag.
But the delay turned out to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise, Scott Davis, program executive officer for PEO Ground Combat Systems, said at today's briefing. By having to push back GCV development, the Army was also able to push back spending on the program. So instead of having to fight for funding in the extremely tight fiscal 2013 spending plan, Army number crunchers were able to defer those costs to later years. The result: nearly $3.1 billion in funding suddenly became available in the fiscal '13 request.
This string of wins has given the Army some much needed optimism for the program. However, DiMarco was clear that program officials cannot afford to take their eye off the ball. The $10.5 billion fixed-price cap written into the GCV development deals will help keep the vehicle from sliding into requirements creep -- or the addition of excessive requirements onto a given program. Costs may also drive the Army to adopt a modernized version of one of their current vehicles to fill the GCV requirement, DiMarco said. But that option is unlikely, since the modifications alone could cause the program's bottom line to skyrocket.
Source;
http://bit.ly/y90d1e
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Army Avoids 'Radical Reshaping' Of Vehicle Fleet, Despite Budget Cuts
AOL Defense: Army Avoids 'Radical Reshaping' Of Vehicle Fleet, Despite Budget Cuts
February 23, 2012
FT. LAUDERDALE: The Army's sizable combat vehicle fleet will remain largely intact despite ongoing efforts inside the Pentagon to reshape the service into a post-Afghanistan force.
While the Army may not be able to buy the amount of new vehicles or modernize the number of legacy systems it wants, the service's overall combat vehicle strategy will remain intact, according to Scott Davis, program executive officer for ground combat systems. There is nothing in the Pentagon's new five year spending strategy or the White House's new national security strategy "that terribly concerns us," he told reporters during a briefing at the Association of the U.S. Army's winter symposium here. "We may [decline] in quantities or distribution, but no real changes," Davis said. His comments come weeks after Maj. Gen Tim Crosby, head of the Army's program executive office for aviation, said that his accounts would largely be spared the budget axe across the service's future years defense plan.
However, combat vehicle accounts did not come out completely unscathed. Service leaders decided to terminate the Humvee recapitalization effort in the fiscal '13 plan. The cancellation of the Modernized Expanded Capability Vehicle program gave the Army some much needed budget breathing room. It also cleared the way for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and Ground Combat Vehicle to enter into the arsenal. Weapon systems aside, the Army did decide to cut over 50,000 troops from the total force as part of its fiscal 2013 budget plan unveiled earlier this month. Army units stationed in the continental United States and in Europe were hit particularly hard by the troop cuts. But the drop in troop strength could end up being an advantage for Army planners.
The reduction in Army personnel numbers drops the combat vehicle requirement for Army units, Col. William Sheehy, project manager for the Army heavy brigade combat teams, explained at the same briefing. That drop in requirements opens the door for service planners to use those excess vehicles for other development efforts. The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, the proposed follow-on to the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, will likely be a modified version of an existing Army platform, Sheehy said. Even though the AMPV is still in the "nascent stages" the $2.4 million Army-imposed cost cap on the effort all but rules out a brand new vehicle, Davis said. That kind of attention to cost could prompt the Army to do the same thing with the GCV. Leveraging a highly-modified Bradley or Stryker vehicle to fill the GCV requirement is "a potential scenario," Project Manager Col. Andrew DiMarco said. But he did note the level of work required -- particularly with the communications, command and control systems-- to get a legacy Army vehicle up to GCV specs would probably rule that option out.
However the Army decides to reshape its combat vehicle fleet to fit a post-Afghanistan world, one thing is for certain: tanks and trucks will continue to be a staple of Army warfighting, Davis said. As long as that remains largely unchanged, so will the service's combat vehicle fleet, he said.
###
end
Source;
http://bit.ly/AsXDqN
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
February 23, 2012
FT. LAUDERDALE: The Army's sizable combat vehicle fleet will remain largely intact despite ongoing efforts inside the Pentagon to reshape the service into a post-Afghanistan force.
While the Army may not be able to buy the amount of new vehicles or modernize the number of legacy systems it wants, the service's overall combat vehicle strategy will remain intact, according to Scott Davis, program executive officer for ground combat systems. There is nothing in the Pentagon's new five year spending strategy or the White House's new national security strategy "that terribly concerns us," he told reporters during a briefing at the Association of the U.S. Army's winter symposium here. "We may [decline] in quantities or distribution, but no real changes," Davis said. His comments come weeks after Maj. Gen Tim Crosby, head of the Army's program executive office for aviation, said that his accounts would largely be spared the budget axe across the service's future years defense plan.
However, combat vehicle accounts did not come out completely unscathed. Service leaders decided to terminate the Humvee recapitalization effort in the fiscal '13 plan. The cancellation of the Modernized Expanded Capability Vehicle program gave the Army some much needed budget breathing room. It also cleared the way for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and Ground Combat Vehicle to enter into the arsenal. Weapon systems aside, the Army did decide to cut over 50,000 troops from the total force as part of its fiscal 2013 budget plan unveiled earlier this month. Army units stationed in the continental United States and in Europe were hit particularly hard by the troop cuts. But the drop in troop strength could end up being an advantage for Army planners.
The reduction in Army personnel numbers drops the combat vehicle requirement for Army units, Col. William Sheehy, project manager for the Army heavy brigade combat teams, explained at the same briefing. That drop in requirements opens the door for service planners to use those excess vehicles for other development efforts. The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, the proposed follow-on to the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, will likely be a modified version of an existing Army platform, Sheehy said. Even though the AMPV is still in the "nascent stages" the $2.4 million Army-imposed cost cap on the effort all but rules out a brand new vehicle, Davis said. That kind of attention to cost could prompt the Army to do the same thing with the GCV. Leveraging a highly-modified Bradley or Stryker vehicle to fill the GCV requirement is "a potential scenario," Project Manager Col. Andrew DiMarco said. But he did note the level of work required -- particularly with the communications, command and control systems-- to get a legacy Army vehicle up to GCV specs would probably rule that option out.
However the Army decides to reshape its combat vehicle fleet to fit a post-Afghanistan world, one thing is for certain: tanks and trucks will continue to be a staple of Army warfighting, Davis said. As long as that remains largely unchanged, so will the service's combat vehicle fleet, he said.
###
end
Source;
http://bit.ly/AsXDqN
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
AUSA: U.S. Army Plans Post-War Management of Stryker Fleet
AUSA: U.S. Army Plans Post-War Management of Stryker Fleet
The U.S. Army has more than 4,000 Stryker infantry combat vehicles, and with combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down, the service is considering how to prioritize resources across the fleet.
Now the Army is focused on deploying hundreds of new Stryker vehicles with a hull designed to better protect against roadside bombs in Afghanistan.
The Army is buying a total of 742 of the double-V-hulled Strykers, built by General Dynamics.
Out of the 37 hits the vehicles have taken in Afghanistan, only a handful have resulted in serious casualties, according to Scott Davis, program executive officer for Army ground combat systems.
Its improved survivability has exceeded the Army’s expectations, Davis told reporters at the Association of the U.S. Army winter symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Although the more survivable vehicles are in high demand, the vast majority of the Army’s Stryker fleet is made up of the original flat-bottomed variant.
One of the strategic choices the Army has to make is how to distribute the double-V-hulled vehicles across the brigades after deployments to Afghanistan are completed, said David Dopp, program manager of the Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT).
“Do we use the flat bottoms to train on the double Vs?” Dopp said. “That long-term strategy — there are some strategic issues that have to be determined.”
With current budget constraints, the Army also has to prioritize which vehicles in its Stryker fleet should get upgrades first.
“It’s kind of a complex problem, because I think we know what improvements we could do to make the vehicles better, but we have this huge fleet of over 4,000 vehicles,” Dopp said. “Given the limited resources that we have, what’s the best approach to make these improvements?”
The Army could concentrate on its “go-to-war” double-V-hulled vehicles first, but it also wants to keep the nine brigades of flat bottoms from becoming obsolete, Dopp said.
‘There is a third course that says, if you look at the whole Stryker brigade, there are 60 or so vehicles that are really, really taxed in power, space and weight. So maybe you just focus on those – both flat bottomed and double V,” Davis said.
There are 10 original Stryker variants. Of those, nine have moved into full-rate production.
On Dec. 8, a full-rate production decision was approved for the latest variant — the Stryker Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBCRV).
The Army has approval to build a total of 158 NBCRVs, Dopp said.
In the meantime, the Army has indefinitely deferred a full-rate production decision for the 10th variant, the Stryker Mobile Gun System.
Dopp cited cost, design maturity and possible new requirement needs as reasons why the Army has decided not to ramp up production on the Mobile Gun System.
If the Army decides it is definitely not buying the Mobile Gun System, it will have to look at reorganizing the Stryker brigade, which has been designed to accommodate the 10th vehicle, Dopp said.
The Army is in the process of standing up the ninth and final Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Ft. Hood, Texas.
###
end
Source;
http://bit.ly/zFDXMu
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
The U.S. Army has more than 4,000 Stryker infantry combat vehicles, and with combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down, the service is considering how to prioritize resources across the fleet.
Now the Army is focused on deploying hundreds of new Stryker vehicles with a hull designed to better protect against roadside bombs in Afghanistan.
The Army is buying a total of 742 of the double-V-hulled Strykers, built by General Dynamics.
Out of the 37 hits the vehicles have taken in Afghanistan, only a handful have resulted in serious casualties, according to Scott Davis, program executive officer for Army ground combat systems.
Its improved survivability has exceeded the Army’s expectations, Davis told reporters at the Association of the U.S. Army winter symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Although the more survivable vehicles are in high demand, the vast majority of the Army’s Stryker fleet is made up of the original flat-bottomed variant.
One of the strategic choices the Army has to make is how to distribute the double-V-hulled vehicles across the brigades after deployments to Afghanistan are completed, said David Dopp, program manager of the Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT).
“Do we use the flat bottoms to train on the double Vs?” Dopp said. “That long-term strategy — there are some strategic issues that have to be determined.”
With current budget constraints, the Army also has to prioritize which vehicles in its Stryker fleet should get upgrades first.
“It’s kind of a complex problem, because I think we know what improvements we could do to make the vehicles better, but we have this huge fleet of over 4,000 vehicles,” Dopp said. “Given the limited resources that we have, what’s the best approach to make these improvements?”
The Army could concentrate on its “go-to-war” double-V-hulled vehicles first, but it also wants to keep the nine brigades of flat bottoms from becoming obsolete, Dopp said.
‘There is a third course that says, if you look at the whole Stryker brigade, there are 60 or so vehicles that are really, really taxed in power, space and weight. So maybe you just focus on those – both flat bottomed and double V,” Davis said.
There are 10 original Stryker variants. Of those, nine have moved into full-rate production.
On Dec. 8, a full-rate production decision was approved for the latest variant — the Stryker Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBCRV).
The Army has approval to build a total of 158 NBCRVs, Dopp said.
In the meantime, the Army has indefinitely deferred a full-rate production decision for the 10th variant, the Stryker Mobile Gun System.
Dopp cited cost, design maturity and possible new requirement needs as reasons why the Army has decided not to ramp up production on the Mobile Gun System.
If the Army decides it is definitely not buying the Mobile Gun System, it will have to look at reorganizing the Stryker brigade, which has been designed to accommodate the 10th vehicle, Dopp said.
The Army is in the process of standing up the ninth and final Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Ft. Hood, Texas.
###
end
Source;
http://bit.ly/zFDXMu
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
The Forgotten Dream
The Forgotten Dream
February 25, 2012
This fast-paced, globe-trotting documentary by Anchor Point Films answers serious questions with serious repercussions on faith in America: Are there really good reasons to believe in the Bible? What does the future hold? Investigators travel far and wide to find expert archaeologists and distinguished theologians to help shed light on these questions and offer the very best scholarly analysis. With "60 Minute" like investigative journalism, this DVD makes an ideal sharing tool and a perfect collection for your apologetics library!
This DVD delves into a couple of serious questions. The first question being, "Are there really any good reasons to believe in the Bible?" and secondly, "What does the future hold?" We have traveled far and near to find archaeologists, and theologians who can help shed light on these questions.
Watch now on YouTube
TakingBackSabbath on Jun 20, 2011
Historicism makes a comeback in this excellent video created by Anchorpoint Films. The events in Daniel 2 confirm the words of Isaias the prophet regarding the God of the Bible - "I declare the end from the beginning." A host of archaeologists and historians comment on the events surrounding the Biblical narrative.
Is your philosophical standpoint true because you believe it, or do you believe your philosophical standpoint because it is true?
For more of these excellent videos, go to anchorpointfilms.com
Source;
http://bit.ly/xWPIsy
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
February 25, 2012
This fast-paced, globe-trotting documentary by Anchor Point Films answers serious questions with serious repercussions on faith in America: Are there really good reasons to believe in the Bible? What does the future hold? Investigators travel far and wide to find expert archaeologists and distinguished theologians to help shed light on these questions and offer the very best scholarly analysis. With "60 Minute" like investigative journalism, this DVD makes an ideal sharing tool and a perfect collection for your apologetics library!
This DVD delves into a couple of serious questions. The first question being, "Are there really any good reasons to believe in the Bible?" and secondly, "What does the future hold?" We have traveled far and near to find archaeologists, and theologians who can help shed light on these questions.
Watch now on YouTube
TakingBackSabbath on Jun 20, 2011
Historicism makes a comeback in this excellent video created by Anchorpoint Films. The events in Daniel 2 confirm the words of Isaias the prophet regarding the God of the Bible - "I declare the end from the beginning." A host of archaeologists and historians comment on the events surrounding the Biblical narrative.
Is your philosophical standpoint true because you believe it, or do you believe your philosophical standpoint because it is true?
For more of these excellent videos, go to anchorpointfilms.com
Purchase a DVD copy today!
Source;
http://bit.ly/xWPIsy
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Tacoma police seeking help in locating missing woman
Tacoma police seeking help in locating missing woman
by Halley Griffin, KOMO Communities Reporter
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012, 10:14pm
Yelena V. Plotnikova
The Tacoma Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating a missing woman.
Yelena Plotnikova was last seen by her family near the 5700 block of East G Street when she left home Feb. 8. She left on foot, and without a mobile phone or vehicle. She has been reported missing three other times recently, say police.
She is a 25 year old female with brown hair and brown eyes, about 5 feet, seven inches tall, and 175 pounds, and was last seen wearing a red jacket and black jeans.
The search for Plotnikova has not turned up any leads with law enforcement or at nearby hospitals.
If you have information on Plotnikova’s whereabouts, please call 911 or contact Detective Lindsey Wade at 253.591.5993 or lwade@cityoftacoma.org.
###
end
Sources;
http://bit.ly/w8j6OI
http://bit.ly/zn8BVH
http://bit.ly/tacomaalert
http://groups.google.com/group/tacomaalert
http://tacoma.komonews.com/news/crime/722431-tacoma-police-seeking-help-locating-missing-woman
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
by Halley Griffin, KOMO Communities Reporter
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012, 10:14pm
Yelena V. Plotnikova
The Tacoma Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating a missing woman.
Yelena Plotnikova was last seen by her family near the 5700 block of East G Street when she left home Feb. 8. She left on foot, and without a mobile phone or vehicle. She has been reported missing three other times recently, say police.
She is a 25 year old female with brown hair and brown eyes, about 5 feet, seven inches tall, and 175 pounds, and was last seen wearing a red jacket and black jeans.
The search for Plotnikova has not turned up any leads with law enforcement or at nearby hospitals.
If you have information on Plotnikova’s whereabouts, please call 911 or contact Detective Lindsey Wade at 253.591.5993 or lwade@cityoftacoma.org.
###
end
Sources;
http://bit.ly/w8j6OI
http://bit.ly/zn8BVH
http://bit.ly/tacomaalert
http://groups.google.com/group/tacomaalert
http://tacoma.komonews.com/news/crime/722431-tacoma-police-seeking-help-locating-missing-woman
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
The Army’s Abrams gamble
DOD Buzz
February 21, 2012
The Army’s Abrams gamble
The Army brass has heard from almost everyone by now that there are reasons to worry about its plan to idle Lima, Ohio’s tank plant for the next few years. Got it, the service’s top leaders said last week — but we’re still doing it.
Army Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno told House lawmakers they think National League-style small-ball foreign military sales can help keep body and soul together for General Dynamics Land Systems until 2017. That’s when the Army plans to begin modernizing its M1A2 SEP Abrams tanks, and GD’s plant and workers would ramp out of their production bathtub.
Leaders don’t seem happy about this, but today’s Austerity Army has little choice, as our eminent colleague Matt Cox reported:
“This is something that is of great interest; it’s something that as I said we are looking at very hard,” McHugh said. “We are willing to pursue any reasonable path to ensure that those particularly critical jobs remain viable.”
Shutting down tank production is just one many cost-cutting strategies the Army is now proposing … That said, few proposals create as much worry among lawmakers as one that might suggest that the Pentagon might not have enough M1 tanks to go into a major ground war with North Korea or even China.
The Army’s M1 fleet is roughly 5,000 strong and according to Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno does not need to grow any larger right now.
“Our tank fleet is in good shape, and we are not going to need to start recap of that until 2017,” Odierno told lawmakers, adding that the temporary shutdown stands to save $2.8 billion.
The Army would have to buy at least 70 M1s a year just to keep the production line open, McHugh said, “which is not just far beyond our fiscal ability, it’s far beyond our need.”
There’s a case to be made that tanks today are the horse cavalry of the early 20th century — kept around as much for nostalgia as for battlefield utility. But as soon as you declare that conventional warfare is over and dispose of all your armor, North Korea invades the South and you’ve got a Larry Bond and/or Harold Coyle situation on your hands. This is exactly why the Army leadership is so keen to preserve “balance” in its force and why Secretary Panetta specifically mentioned Korea in last week’s congressional hearings.
Although DoD officials usually are coy about the exact campaign plans that inform their force structure requirements, Panetta spitballed a rollicking airport novel: North Korea attacks the South (where, one hopes, the handsome young Army tank commander can hold the line) and, at the same time, Iran blocks or mines the Strait of Hormuz (where, one hopes, the handsome young surface warfare officer can hold off a small-boat swarm attack).
The military will be structured to deal with this scenario, Panetta said, and that means keeping tanks. But an overall doctrinal commitment does not guarantee business for GD or jobs for the engineers who work on these machines — or that an idle tank plant would start back up when the Army now projects it would.
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
February 21, 2012
The Army’s Abrams gamble
The Army brass has heard from almost everyone by now that there are reasons to worry about its plan to idle Lima, Ohio’s tank plant for the next few years. Got it, the service’s top leaders said last week — but we’re still doing it.
Army Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno told House lawmakers they think National League-style small-ball foreign military sales can help keep body and soul together for General Dynamics Land Systems until 2017. That’s when the Army plans to begin modernizing its M1A2 SEP Abrams tanks, and GD’s plant and workers would ramp out of their production bathtub.
Leaders don’t seem happy about this, but today’s Austerity Army has little choice, as our eminent colleague Matt Cox reported:
“This is something that is of great interest; it’s something that as I said we are looking at very hard,” McHugh said. “We are willing to pursue any reasonable path to ensure that those particularly critical jobs remain viable.”
Shutting down tank production is just one many cost-cutting strategies the Army is now proposing … That said, few proposals create as much worry among lawmakers as one that might suggest that the Pentagon might not have enough M1 tanks to go into a major ground war with North Korea or even China.
The Army’s M1 fleet is roughly 5,000 strong and according to Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno does not need to grow any larger right now.
“Our tank fleet is in good shape, and we are not going to need to start recap of that until 2017,” Odierno told lawmakers, adding that the temporary shutdown stands to save $2.8 billion.
The Army would have to buy at least 70 M1s a year just to keep the production line open, McHugh said, “which is not just far beyond our fiscal ability, it’s far beyond our need.”
There’s a case to be made that tanks today are the horse cavalry of the early 20th century — kept around as much for nostalgia as for battlefield utility. But as soon as you declare that conventional warfare is over and dispose of all your armor, North Korea invades the South and you’ve got a Larry Bond and/or Harold Coyle situation on your hands. This is exactly why the Army leadership is so keen to preserve “balance” in its force and why Secretary Panetta specifically mentioned Korea in last week’s congressional hearings.
Although DoD officials usually are coy about the exact campaign plans that inform their force structure requirements, Panetta spitballed a rollicking airport novel: North Korea attacks the South (where, one hopes, the handsome young Army tank commander can hold the line) and, at the same time, Iran blocks or mines the Strait of Hormuz (where, one hopes, the handsome young surface warfare officer can hold off a small-boat swarm attack).
The military will be structured to deal with this scenario, Panetta said, and that means keeping tanks. But an overall doctrinal commitment does not guarantee business for GD or jobs for the engineers who work on these machines — or that an idle tank plant would start back up when the Army now projects it would.
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
TACOMA, Wash. — Man runs woman over with truck, tries to kidnap her
TACOMA, Wash. — Man runs woman over with truck, tries to kidnap her
Monday, Feb. 20, 2012
Police are looking for a man they said ran over a woman with his pickup and then tried to kidnap her.
The victim's boyfriend showed pictures to KIRO 7' Eyewitness News reporter Sunny Layne and told her about the victim’s serious injuries.
Hong Hoang was walking home from work at a Tacoma McDonald’s early Friday when she noticed a man following her. She tried to get away in a parking lot, but the man ran her down with his pickup.
Police said the man tried to put her inside his truck, and despite many broken bones, Hoang managed to punch him. The commotion caught the attention of another man in the parking lot, and the attacker drove away, leaving Hoang critically injured, but alive.
“To be able to punch the guy in the face right after he ran over you with a truck, that’s a pretty strong woman, as far as I'm concerned. I've never met a stronger woman in my life,” said Hoang’s boyfriend, Kris Moore.
Moore says Hoang is recovering at Tacoma General Hospital with a broken pelvis, ribs, leg, bruised lung and other injuries.
"I had to leave because I couldn't stop crying because it was so terrible to hear her scream that much," said Moore. "She's not going to be able to work for a very long time. She's going to be able to have to re-learn to walk."
It will be a long road to recovery, but Moore says he will be there every step of the way.
Hoang is still in the intensive care unit, but is conscious and talking.
Police said they are looking for a man in his late 20s, who is 6 feet tall with dark skin and short, curly dark hair. They said he drove a dark blue Chevrolet pickup that may have a broken back window. The license plate possibly ended with the numbers 10 and the letter N.
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call police.
Hong Hoang
Related
video : Man runs over woman, tries to kidnap her
Sources;
http://bit.ly/yZ9ZhO
http://mcaf.ee/e1y0a
http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/crime-law/man-runs-woman-over-truck-tries-kidnap-her/nJJgs/
###
end
Copyright © 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, Feb. 20, 2012
Police are looking for a man they said ran over a woman with his pickup and then tried to kidnap her.
The victim's boyfriend showed pictures to KIRO 7' Eyewitness News reporter Sunny Layne and told her about the victim’s serious injuries.
Hong Hoang was walking home from work at a Tacoma McDonald’s early Friday when she noticed a man following her. She tried to get away in a parking lot, but the man ran her down with his pickup.
Police said the man tried to put her inside his truck, and despite many broken bones, Hoang managed to punch him. The commotion caught the attention of another man in the parking lot, and the attacker drove away, leaving Hoang critically injured, but alive.
“To be able to punch the guy in the face right after he ran over you with a truck, that’s a pretty strong woman, as far as I'm concerned. I've never met a stronger woman in my life,” said Hoang’s boyfriend, Kris Moore.
Moore says Hoang is recovering at Tacoma General Hospital with a broken pelvis, ribs, leg, bruised lung and other injuries.
"I had to leave because I couldn't stop crying because it was so terrible to hear her scream that much," said Moore. "She's not going to be able to work for a very long time. She's going to be able to have to re-learn to walk."
It will be a long road to recovery, but Moore says he will be there every step of the way.
Hoang is still in the intensive care unit, but is conscious and talking.
Police said they are looking for a man in his late 20s, who is 6 feet tall with dark skin and short, curly dark hair. They said he drove a dark blue Chevrolet pickup that may have a broken back window. The license plate possibly ended with the numbers 10 and the letter N.
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call police.
Hong Hoang
Related
video : Man runs over woman, tries to kidnap her
Sources;
http://bit.ly/yZ9ZhO
http://mcaf.ee/e1y0a
http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/crime-law/man-runs-woman-over-truck-tries-kidnap-her/nJJgs/
###
end
Copyright © 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All Rights Reserved.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
What French Parents Do That Americans Don't
What French Parents Do That Americans Don't
February 12, 2012
Listen to the Story
[6 min 6 sec]
Weekend Edition Sunday
Before moving to Paris, American Pamela Druckerman knew that the French had a reputation for cultural refinement: a knowledge of wine, a sophisticated sense of style and a preoccupation with haute cuisine.
But while living in the French capital and going through the everyday struggles of raising children her English husband, she uncovered another surprising aspect of French life. Wherever she looked in Paris, the locals seemed to be employing a certain je ne sais quoi that was making their kids behave better than typical American children.
Druckerman decided to write a book about her experience, called Bringing up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting. She tells Weekend Edition's Rachel Martin that the idea for the book came to her in a sort of "epiphany" when she was eating out with her husband and her daughter, who was 18 months old at the time.
"[My daughter] was refusing to eat anything but sort of pasta and white bread. And I suddenly looked up and I realized that the French families all around us were having a very different experience — that their kids were sitting in their high-chairs, enjoying their meals, eating their vegetables and fish and all kinds of other things and talking to their parents. ... They weren't being seen but not heard. They were enjoying themselves," Druckerman says.
Druckerman began paying close attention to how French methods with children differed from American ones. One thing she found was that the French had an essentially different attitude about the malleability of their children's preferences.
"We [Americans] assume ... a little more that kids have inherent likes and dislikes, whereas the French view on food is the parent must educate their child and that appreciation for different food is something you cultivate over time," Druckerman says.
Benjamin Barda
Pamela Druckerman is an American journalist and mother of three who lives in Paris.
One key to this cultivation of tastes appears to be exposure. Druckerman points out that in France, "there is no category of food called kids' food. Kids and adults, from the start, eat the same thing."
As an example of how children are exposed to a variety of foods at an early age, Druckerman recounts her visit to a lunch at a public daycare with her daughter and other two-year-olds.
"There's a four-course menu every day. It starts with a vegetable dish and then there's a main course. There's a different cheese every day. So, I discovered to my shock that my daughter eats blue cheese. There are two things in that. One is that, I think, starting with vegetables is a really good idea, and we do that now. And the other trick that French parents do is they say to their kids, 'You don't have to eat everything, you just have to taste it,'" Druckerman says.
The French method of culinary education for their children also illustrates a larger pattern within French parenting, which is the cultivation of patience. Druckerman says most French children, unlike many of their American counterparts, did not need to be entertained constantly by their parents.
"I notice this when I go to the park in France, because I would usually arrive with a big bag of stuff to entertain my daughter the entire day, whereas the French mom on the blanket next to me would have just one ball, and she would talk to her friend. And the child would be happy," Druckerman says. "French children seem to be able to play by themselves in a way."
Some might see this scenario as evidence that the French are less thrilled with having children and are more selfish as parents than their American counterparts who are constantly playing with their children. But Druckerman does not think this is the case.
"The French view is really one of balance, I think. ... What French women would tell me over and over is, it's very important that no part of your life — not being a mom, not being a worker, not being a wife — overwhelms the other part," Druckerman says.
The more laissez-faire French style of parenting may be hard to swallow for some Americans who are used to hovering over their children, but Druckerman thinks it's worth it in the long run. "As an American, you know, at first I was really surprised by this kind of approach to parenting. But after a while, I realized, you know what, my daughter is proud of her independence," Druckerman says.
Although no one likes to be told how to parent, Druckerman says the response from readers so far has been "overwhelmingly positive." Part of the reason for this may be that Druckerman avoided being overly preachy by writing the book as a personal narrative.
"I'm criticizing myself. I'm, I think, maybe the more extreme example of an American parent," Druckerman says. "So, I guess the book is really a memoir. It's my own story of how I partially became converted to some French ways of doing things but also held on to the things that I like about America."
Read an excerpt of Bringing Up Bebe
Related NPR Stories
S'il-Vous-Plait: Raising Your 'Bebe' The French Way Feb. 1, 2012
Sources;
http://mcaf.ee/hmazp
http://www.npr.org/2012/02/12/146769135/move-over-tiger-mother-french-parents-may-be-better-too?ft=3&f=111787346&sc=nl&cc=es-20120219
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
February 12, 2012
Listen to the Story
[6 min 6 sec]
Weekend Edition Sunday
Before moving to Paris, American Pamela Druckerman knew that the French had a reputation for cultural refinement: a knowledge of wine, a sophisticated sense of style and a preoccupation with haute cuisine.
But while living in the French capital and going through the everyday struggles of raising children her English husband, she uncovered another surprising aspect of French life. Wherever she looked in Paris, the locals seemed to be employing a certain je ne sais quoi that was making their kids behave better than typical American children.
Druckerman decided to write a book about her experience, called Bringing up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting. She tells Weekend Edition's Rachel Martin that the idea for the book came to her in a sort of "epiphany" when she was eating out with her husband and her daughter, who was 18 months old at the time.
"[My daughter] was refusing to eat anything but sort of pasta and white bread. And I suddenly looked up and I realized that the French families all around us were having a very different experience — that their kids were sitting in their high-chairs, enjoying their meals, eating their vegetables and fish and all kinds of other things and talking to their parents. ... They weren't being seen but not heard. They were enjoying themselves," Druckerman says.
Druckerman began paying close attention to how French methods with children differed from American ones. One thing she found was that the French had an essentially different attitude about the malleability of their children's preferences.
"We [Americans] assume ... a little more that kids have inherent likes and dislikes, whereas the French view on food is the parent must educate their child and that appreciation for different food is something you cultivate over time," Druckerman says.
Benjamin Barda
Pamela Druckerman is an American journalist and mother of three who lives in Paris.
One key to this cultivation of tastes appears to be exposure. Druckerman points out that in France, "there is no category of food called kids' food. Kids and adults, from the start, eat the same thing."
As an example of how children are exposed to a variety of foods at an early age, Druckerman recounts her visit to a lunch at a public daycare with her daughter and other two-year-olds.
"There's a four-course menu every day. It starts with a vegetable dish and then there's a main course. There's a different cheese every day. So, I discovered to my shock that my daughter eats blue cheese. There are two things in that. One is that, I think, starting with vegetables is a really good idea, and we do that now. And the other trick that French parents do is they say to their kids, 'You don't have to eat everything, you just have to taste it,'" Druckerman says.
The French method of culinary education for their children also illustrates a larger pattern within French parenting, which is the cultivation of patience. Druckerman says most French children, unlike many of their American counterparts, did not need to be entertained constantly by their parents.
"I notice this when I go to the park in France, because I would usually arrive with a big bag of stuff to entertain my daughter the entire day, whereas the French mom on the blanket next to me would have just one ball, and she would talk to her friend. And the child would be happy," Druckerman says. "French children seem to be able to play by themselves in a way."
Some might see this scenario as evidence that the French are less thrilled with having children and are more selfish as parents than their American counterparts who are constantly playing with their children. But Druckerman does not think this is the case.
"The French view is really one of balance, I think. ... What French women would tell me over and over is, it's very important that no part of your life — not being a mom, not being a worker, not being a wife — overwhelms the other part," Druckerman says.
The more laissez-faire French style of parenting may be hard to swallow for some Americans who are used to hovering over their children, but Druckerman thinks it's worth it in the long run. "As an American, you know, at first I was really surprised by this kind of approach to parenting. But after a while, I realized, you know what, my daughter is proud of her independence," Druckerman says.
Although no one likes to be told how to parent, Druckerman says the response from readers so far has been "overwhelmingly positive." Part of the reason for this may be that Druckerman avoided being overly preachy by writing the book as a personal narrative.
"I'm criticizing myself. I'm, I think, maybe the more extreme example of an American parent," Druckerman says. "So, I guess the book is really a memoir. It's my own story of how I partially became converted to some French ways of doing things but also held on to the things that I like about America."
Read an excerpt of Bringing Up Bebe
Related NPR Stories
S'il-Vous-Plait: Raising Your 'Bebe' The French Way Feb. 1, 2012
Sources;
http://mcaf.ee/hmazp
http://www.npr.org/2012/02/12/146769135/move-over-tiger-mother-french-parents-may-be-better-too?ft=3&f=111787346&sc=nl&cc=es-20120219
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Strykers Get Upgrades, Modifications At JBLM By Patriotic Crew
Strykers Get Upgrades, Modifications At JBLM By Patriotic Crew
November 29, 2011
Stryker armored fighting vehicle, Cadillac of the infantry, is much more than a mode of transportation for soldiers. It is an eight-wheeled, strategic mobile home on steroids where soldiers eat their meals together, sleep in full gear, strengthen camaraderie, and roll through war zones.
Join Base Lewis-McChord is home to the highest number of Stryker brigades in the Army. General Dynamics is the defense contractor that modifies and upgrades these tactical vehicles.
The General Dynamics team at JBLM knows what it takes to increase the survivability and lethality of the Army's Strykers. It may be the fact that 90 percent of the team has served in the military that makes them so efficient or perhaps their patriotism dedicates them to their profession. Their motto "Our soldiers know we have their backs" comes from their commitment to the task.
"You have to have a love for soldiers," said Joseph Green, a Tacoma, Wash., native and quality insurance manager who served for 10 years in the Air Force. "You have to be able to put yourself in their shoes; it's a selfless service."
The employees of General Dynamics provide a service that protects the lives of others, much like military service members. Mechanics can sometimes work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week upgrading the Strykers and getting them fit for war for units that have orders to deploy.
Ther are 1,600 Strykers in the Army's arsenal and every vehicle here is modified and upgraded at the JBLM shop, said Green. The team upgrades the factory-built Strykers by installing air conditioning units, radios and video cameras to provide the vehicle commander with a clear view of the battlefield.
They install rocket-propelled grenade grills causing incoming PRGs to detonate away from the Strykers. A mine protectin kit is installed protecting soldiers from improvised explosive devices by strenghtening the under carrriages of the vehicles.
"We're having more soldiers coming out of attacks with much less injuries," said Green, who insures each Stryker is immaculate prior to seeing the battlefield.
Abel Mendez, a native of Fresno, Calif., and a General Dynamics mechanic, has worked for six years providing soldiers with reassurance when they deploy.
"By the time we're done with the vehicles, they have a fully up-to-date Stryker with all of the highest modifications there are, said Mendez, whose primary directive is keeping soldiers alive."
Strykers enter the chop shop ready to intimate the enemy and depart prepared to annihilate. The mechanics upgrade the weapon systems to make them more lethal and accurate. They reduce the Stryker's weight so they can handle rougher terrain and navigate through close and urban terrain, said Mendez, who served as a mechanic in the Army.
The General Dynamics team travels around the United States and into theater, where they can spend anywheere from a week to a year, to get the Strykers ready for war, said Mendez.
"We definitely take a lot of pride in what we do and the majority of us being prior service, those are still our brothers and sisters out there," said Mendez. -- Story by Spc. Ryan Hallock
###
end
November 29, 2011
Stryker armored fighting vehicle, Cadillac of the infantry, is much more than a mode of transportation for soldiers. It is an eight-wheeled, strategic mobile home on steroids where soldiers eat their meals together, sleep in full gear, strengthen camaraderie, and roll through war zones.
Join Base Lewis-McChord is home to the highest number of Stryker brigades in the Army. General Dynamics is the defense contractor that modifies and upgrades these tactical vehicles.
The General Dynamics team at JBLM knows what it takes to increase the survivability and lethality of the Army's Strykers. It may be the fact that 90 percent of the team has served in the military that makes them so efficient or perhaps their patriotism dedicates them to their profession. Their motto "Our soldiers know we have their backs" comes from their commitment to the task.
"You have to have a love for soldiers," said Joseph Green, a Tacoma, Wash., native and quality insurance manager who served for 10 years in the Air Force. "You have to be able to put yourself in their shoes; it's a selfless service."
The employees of General Dynamics provide a service that protects the lives of others, much like military service members. Mechanics can sometimes work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week upgrading the Strykers and getting them fit for war for units that have orders to deploy.
Ther are 1,600 Strykers in the Army's arsenal and every vehicle here is modified and upgraded at the JBLM shop, said Green. The team upgrades the factory-built Strykers by installing air conditioning units, radios and video cameras to provide the vehicle commander with a clear view of the battlefield.
They install rocket-propelled grenade grills causing incoming PRGs to detonate away from the Strykers. A mine protectin kit is installed protecting soldiers from improvised explosive devices by strenghtening the under carrriages of the vehicles.
"We're having more soldiers coming out of attacks with much less injuries," said Green, who insures each Stryker is immaculate prior to seeing the battlefield.
Abel Mendez, a native of Fresno, Calif., and a General Dynamics mechanic, has worked for six years providing soldiers with reassurance when they deploy.
"By the time we're done with the vehicles, they have a fully up-to-date Stryker with all of the highest modifications there are, said Mendez, whose primary directive is keeping soldiers alive."
Strykers enter the chop shop ready to intimate the enemy and depart prepared to annihilate. The mechanics upgrade the weapon systems to make them more lethal and accurate. They reduce the Stryker's weight so they can handle rougher terrain and navigate through close and urban terrain, said Mendez, who served as a mechanic in the Army.
The General Dynamics team travels around the United States and into theater, where they can spend anywheere from a week to a year, to get the Strykers ready for war, said Mendez.
"We definitely take a lot of pride in what we do and the majority of us being prior service, those are still our brothers and sisters out there," said Mendez. -- Story by Spc. Ryan Hallock
###
end
Sunday, February 12, 2012
I Voted Democrat
I Voted Democrat
February 12, 2012
When your friends can't explain why they voted for Democrats, ask them to choose from this list.
1. I voted Democrat because I believe oil companies profit of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene, but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.
2. I voted Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.
3 I voted Democrat because Freedom of Speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.
4. I voted Democrat because I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.
5. I voted Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.
6. I voted Democrat because I'm not concerned about millions of babies being aborted so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.
7. I voted Democrat because I think illegal aliens have a right to free health care, education, and Social Security benefits.
8. I voted Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistributoin as the Democrats see fit.
9. I voted Democrat because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters.
10. I voted Democrat because I think that it's better to pay billions to people who hate us for their oil, but not drill our own because it might upset some endangered beetle or gopher.
11. I voted Democrat because, while we live in the greatest, most wonderful country in the world, I was promised "Hope & Change".
12. I voted Democrat because my head is so firmly planted up my ass, it's unlikely that I'll ever have another point of view.
###
end
This is the first political statement that I've ever posted to the Internet.
Good Day,
Philip Atkins
Tacoma, Washington
--
Quote;
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. - Dr. Seuss
The Tao of Steve Jobs -
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."
Enjoy!
Philip Atkins
Tacoma, Washington
Material Control Specialist
consulant.webs.com
Google Voice: (253) 987-6261
Windows Live allows you to stay connected with the people and things that matter most. Share photos, write a blog, get 25 GB of free online storage, and more. Check out Windows Live Today! -- @ live.com | My blog on Windows Live by Microsoft -- bit.ly/live2010
Get updates via SMS by texting follow atkinsp to 40404 in the United States
Imagine your computer desktop on the web @ live.com.
February 12, 2012
When your friends can't explain why they voted for Democrats, ask them to choose from this list.
1. I voted Democrat because I believe oil companies profit of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene, but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.
2. I voted Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.
3 I voted Democrat because Freedom of Speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.
4. I voted Democrat because I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.
5. I voted Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.
6. I voted Democrat because I'm not concerned about millions of babies being aborted so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.
7. I voted Democrat because I think illegal aliens have a right to free health care, education, and Social Security benefits.
8. I voted Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistributoin as the Democrats see fit.
9. I voted Democrat because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters.
10. I voted Democrat because I think that it's better to pay billions to people who hate us for their oil, but not drill our own because it might upset some endangered beetle or gopher.
11. I voted Democrat because, while we live in the greatest, most wonderful country in the world, I was promised "Hope & Change".
12. I voted Democrat because my head is so firmly planted up my ass, it's unlikely that I'll ever have another point of view.
###
end
This is the first political statement that I've ever posted to the Internet.
Good Day,
Philip Atkins
Tacoma, Washington
--
Quote;
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. - Dr. Seuss
The Tao of Steve Jobs -
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."
Enjoy!
Philip Atkins
Tacoma, Washington
Material Control Specialist
consulant.webs.com
Google Voice: (253) 987-6261
Windows Live allows you to stay connected with the people and things that matter most. Share photos, write a blog, get 25 GB of free online storage, and more. Check out Windows Live Today! -- @ live.com | My blog on Windows Live by Microsoft -- bit.ly/live2010
Get updates via SMS by texting follow atkinsp to 40404 in the United States
Imagine your computer desktop on the web @ live.com.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Bacon Roses: She wants romance, you want a snack.
Today's Featured Photo
Bacon Roses: She wants romance, you want a snack. Problem solved...!
Sources;
http://mcaf.ee/3z76y
http://mcaf.ee/xgzms
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
Bacon Roses: She wants romance, you want a snack. Problem solved...!
Sources;
http://mcaf.ee/3z76y
http://mcaf.ee/xgzms
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
Valentines Day 2012
Valentines Day
02.05.2012
Valentine's Day is next Tuesday.
February 14, 2012
Question: call in...
If you could muster enough courage to tell your spouse, partner or significant other what you really wanted out of your relationship what would that question sound like?
Please call our voice mail number with your question and let us know if it's OK to publish your request.
Our number is available 24/7 at 253.987.6261.
Good Day,
Philip Atkins
Moderator
Tacomaclub, Tacoma2000, Tacomababysitters @ Y!
--
Quote;
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. - Dr. Seuss
The Tao of Steve Jobs -
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."
Enjoy!
Philip Atkins
Tacoma, Washington
Material Control Specialist
consulant.webs.com
Google Voice: (253) 987-6261
Windows Live allows you to stay connected with the people and things that matter most. Share photos, write a blog, get 25 GB of free online
storage, and more. Check out Windows Live Today! -- @ live.com | My blog on Windows Live by Microsoft -- bit.ly/live2010
Get updates via SMS by texting follow atkinsp to 40404 in the United States
Imagine your computer desktop on the web! | bit.ly/live_2011
02.05.2012
Valentine's Day is next Tuesday.
February 14, 2012
Question: call in...
If you could muster enough courage to tell your spouse, partner or significant other what you really wanted out of your relationship what would that question sound like?
Please call our voice mail number with your question and let us know if it's OK to publish your request.
Our number is available 24/7 at 253.987.6261.
Good Day,
Philip Atkins
Moderator
Tacomaclub, Tacoma2000, Tacomababysitters @ Y!
--
Quote;
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. - Dr. Seuss
The Tao of Steve Jobs -
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."
Enjoy!
Philip Atkins
Tacoma, Washington
Material Control Specialist
consulant.webs.com
Google Voice: (253) 987-6261
Windows Live allows you to stay connected with the people and things that matter most. Share photos, write a blog, get 25 GB of free online
storage, and more. Check out Windows Live Today! -- @ live.com | My blog on Windows Live by Microsoft -- bit.ly/live2010
Get updates via SMS by texting follow atkinsp to 40404 in the United States
Imagine your computer desktop on the web! | bit.ly/live_2011
Today's Featured Photos: Life of Faith: Douglas H. Wheelock
Douglas H. Wheelock
@Astro_Wheels
Life of Faith; Test Pilot; NASA Astronaut: STS-120 & ISS-24/25; Space Station Commander; Captivated by our Blue Planet; Inspired by life's quiet moments...
“To be able to rise from the earth…to be able, from a station in outer space, to see the relationship of the planet Earth to other planets…to be able to contemplate the billions of factors in precise and beautiful combination that make human existence possible…to be able to dwell on an encounter of the human brain and spirit with the universe—all this enlarges the human horizon…”
On days like these I remember and reflect back on my childhood and my own dreams of flight. I would watch the birds and wonder about their course…their destination. Would they look down from their perch and wonder about a life of walking and running…rather than flying? I often thought that they probably felt sorry for us...burdened with the chains of gravity.
I am so grateful for my current ‘office cubicle’…I really don’t miss those chains… :-)
Questions, comments or suggestions are welcomed and sometimes shared by calling our voice mail number at 253.987.6261.
Source;
http://mcaf.ee/uix0k
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
@Astro_Wheels
Life of Faith; Test Pilot; NASA Astronaut: STS-120 & ISS-24/25; Space Station Commander; Captivated by our Blue Planet; Inspired by life's quiet moments...
twitpic.com/photos/Astro_Wheels
“To be able to rise from the earth…to be able, from a station in outer space, to see the relationship of the planet Earth to other planets…to be able to contemplate the billions of factors in precise and beautiful combination that make human existence possible…to be able to dwell on an encounter of the human brain and spirit with the universe—all this enlarges the human horizon…”
On days like these I remember and reflect back on my childhood and my own dreams of flight. I would watch the birds and wonder about their course…their destination. Would they look down from their perch and wonder about a life of walking and running…rather than flying? I often thought that they probably felt sorry for us...burdened with the chains of gravity.
I am so grateful for my current ‘office cubicle’…I really don’t miss those chains… :-)
Questions, comments or suggestions are welcomed and sometimes shared by calling our voice mail number at 253.987.6261.
Source;
http://mcaf.ee/uix0k
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
Freddie Mac Betting Against Struggling Homeowners
YOUR MONEY
Freddie Mac Betting Against
Struggling Homeowners
Morning Edition
Jan 30, 2012 | See Full Story
Freddie Mac has the power to tighten lending -- and it makes money when homeowners can't refinance.
Email
download | Get link
Source;
http://mcaf.ee/p54g7
Questions, comments or suggestions are greatly welcomed by calling 253.987.6261.
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
Freddie Mac Betting Against
Struggling Homeowners
Morning Edition
Jan 30, 2012 | See Full Story
Freddie Mac has the power to tighten lending -- and it makes money when homeowners can't refinance.
download | Get link
Source;
http://mcaf.ee/p54g7
Questions, comments or suggestions are greatly welcomed by calling 253.987.6261.
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Top 50 Most Military-Friendly Employers
Top 50 Most Military-Friendly Employers
December 2008
gijobs.net
DynCorp International has been selected as one of the Top 50 Most Military-Friendly Employers® by G.I. Jobs. This distinction is given to the top 50 companies who have strong military recruitment efforts, a high percentage of hires with past military experience, and have company policies with respect to national guard and reserve service. DynCorp International was selected out of approximately 2,500 companies with annual revenues of $1 billion or above.
Sources;
gijobs.net
http://mcaf.ee/se8tz
http://dyn-intl.com/careers.aspx
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
December 2008
gijobs.net
DynCorp International has been selected as one of the Top 50 Most Military-Friendly Employers® by G.I. Jobs. This distinction is given to the top 50 companies who have strong military recruitment efforts, a high percentage of hires with past military experience, and have company policies with respect to national guard and reserve service. DynCorp International was selected out of approximately 2,500 companies with annual revenues of $1 billion or above.
Sources;
gijobs.net
http://mcaf.ee/se8tz
http://dyn-intl.com/careers.aspx
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
DOT&E Report On Army Tactical Wheeled Vehicles, Strykers Released
Inside Defense
January 17, 2012
DOT&E Report On Army Tactical Wheeled Vehicles, Strykers Released
The office of the Pentagon's chief weapons tester, Michael Gilmore, released a report last week with a variety of recommendations and updates concerning the Army's vehicle fleet, mostly pointing out where additional testing and design tweaking remains necessary.
When it comes to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, the Army's intended replacement for the humvee that is poised to be approved for its engineering and design manufacturing phase this month, Gilmore recommends that the Army continue to "capitalize on lessons learned from the JLTV [technology-development] testing to update the [EMD] Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability Growth Plan," and to "submit a Test and Evaluation Master Plan to support the milestone B decision."
During the TD phase, the Army changed the JLTV's protection requirement to that of a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle, something Gilmore notes could inhibit the vehicle's other requirements, such as mobility.
The Army and Marine Corps, which are partnering on the program, recently revised the JLTV's requirements with an eye toward greater affordability and a more streamlined development schedule.
Gilmore also notes JLTVs tested in the TD phase had "unique safety problems," which "limited the execution of the JLTV User Test Demo to assess ingress/egress, coupling and uncoupling of the trailer and vehicles, and performing the gunner drills."
The vehicles also showed a "lack of adequate storage space for ammunition, restricted visibility due to small windows, positioning of window panels, and
uncomfortable seats with poor seating arrangements."
Three teams have been awarded JLTV technology-demonstration contracts: one team includes Navistar Defense and BAE of York, PA; another includes Lockheed Martin and BAE Armor Holdings; and a third, involving AM General and General Dynamics, is called General Tactical Vehicles. Oshkosh Defense is expected to compete in the EMD phase as an outsider, while Ford is eying the program and Navistar is contemplating a separate solo bid.
In a separate assessment of Force Protection's Cougar ambulance, Gilmore writes that it is operationally effective, but not "operationally suitable due to its poor reliability, which contributed to its low availability." Gilmore also writes that Navistar's MRAP Recovery Vehicle, which underwent a limited user test in fiscal year 2011 as part of Navistar's overarching independent suspension system LUT, is "not operationally effective and not operationally suitable for recovery operations on cross-country terrain" because of its "poor mobility" and combat towing.
"The Navistar MRV is not reliable," Gilmore wrote. "The Navistar MRV is capable of recovering and combat towing damaged MRAP vehicles on flat improved roads."
Gilmore recommends that the MRV improve cross-country mobility, vehicle power and system reliability prior to entering full operational test and evaluation.
Gilmore also recommends that Oshkosh Defense redesign the Special Operations Forces M-ATV to "accommodate larger rear passenger windows improving visibility of SOF operators in the rear to observe their surroundings," as well as fix "firepower related failures" and improve the air flow rate within the vehicle. In its current state, the M-ATV is operationally effective for conducting tactical transport missions, but not operationally effective for conducting unique SOF combat missions, he writes.
For Oshkosh's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, Gilmore recommends that work be done to address "heating, ventilation, and air conditioning failures and improve the reliability of Load Handling System twist lock failures," as well as to "continue exploring additional protection against current underbody and under-wheel threats."
Gilmore is also bullish on the Army's plans for competitive humvee recapitalization, known as the Medium Expanded Capacity Vehicle. In his report, he notes that "ballistic testing of early [humvee] blast mitigation system design indicates that achieving underbody protection equivalent to that provided by the MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle is feasible."
Gilmore provides a positive review of the increased protection provided by the new Stryker Double-V Hull vehicle developed by General Dynamics Land Systems, and recommends only that the Army should increase space in the driver's compartment to accommodate larger soldiers.
Meanwhile, Gilmore writes that the Army should continue to work on the mobility of the Stryker Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Reconnaissance
Vehicle, which suffered under the additional weight of protective slat armor.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside Defense
GAO: Force Protection Features Cost SAIC-Boeing In GCV Competition
Science Applications International Corp. and Boeing were excluded from the Army's Ground Combat Vehicle program last year because of concerns over their design's force-protection features, a Government Accountability Office decision reveals.
At issue is the industry team's proposal for an active protection system, aimed at destroying incoming rockets and grenades, and the design of its underbody armor, aimed at protecting a GCV's crew against improvised explosive devices. Force protection was a major factor on which offerors were judged when the Army awarded development contracts for the multibillion-dollar program last summer.
Contract awards went to BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems. The SAIC-Boeing team came up empty and subsequently protested the Army's award decision. The team's principal argument held that the Army subjected its offering to a more demanding evaluation process than the other two proposals.
In a redacted protest decision issued by GAO last week, auditors explain their determination, reached in early December, that the Army held all three companies to the same standards. The 20-page opinion contains a plethora of details surrounding the case, including an assessment by the Army that officials had "concerns with all three offerors' force-protection solutions."
The sections discussing the characteristics of SAIC's proposal for an APS are heavily redacted. The bottom line in the Army's argument against the offering was that the company was unable to produce "substantiating data to support its performance claims," the GAO opinion states. Specifically, Army officials questioned that the company team would be able to improve the APS' response time so that it can defeat a specific round, the name of which was deleted from the GAO document.
The opinion addresses SAIC's claim that its offer is based on the Puma vehicle, used by the German army, and therefore should have ranked higher in the Army evaluation system. Industry team officials made the argument that a GCV based on an existing design would be less fraught with risk than a completely new vehicle design, as BAE and GDLS proposed.
Government lawyers determined that the Army had taken this argument into account, but noted the significant level of effort involved in modifying the Puma so it can fulfill the U.S. requirement of seating a nine-member squad.
The SAIC-Boeing underbelly protection design was found to constitute a "weakness," according to the GAO opinion. When asked by the Army to provide more information about it, company officials responded that the information was classified and belonged to the German ministry of defense. "SAIC . . . responded that the information the Army was seeking was set out in a proprietary, classified drawing, which SAIC was not permitted to deliver," according to the GAO opinion.
The company offered to provide details to U.S. government personnel under the condition of non-disclosure agreements, but the Army judged the design as "uncertain." While the German defense ministry offered classified briefings to the Army on the underbody protection test results and simulated models, Army officials declined because it would have required them to travel to Germany. The German stipulation also was that no notes were to be taken and no documents handed over.
Consequently, the Army's characterization of a weakness due to the lack of data was justified, according to GAO attorneys.
Additional Army concerns with the SAIC-Boeing proposal included insufficient head clearance for crew members, "seating system integration problems," a risk of toxic fumes in the crew compartment due to the "battery pack" placement, and "various hazards inhibiting egress to the rear of the GCV," according to the GAO document.
Source-selection officials gave SAIC several warnings that the company's proposal would be rejected if critical weaknesses remained after a round of proposal revisions, GAO said.
Auditors considered only the Army's actions during the evaluation process, not the substance of the service's arguments against the SAIC-Boeing proposal.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
InsideDefense.com
Keeping America Competitive: The Military Needs To Limit Its Industrial Roles
During the Cold War, the U.S. military acquired a vast network of public-sector industrial facilities and private-sector suppliers. Over time, a division of labor emerged between the two segments of the defense industrial base: private companies would develop and manufacture combat systems, while public facilities would maintain and repair them. Although this arrangement required the government to fund two parallel industrial systems, it worked reasonably well as long as the U.S. economy generated the wealth necessary to support a vast “military-industrial complex.”
However, in recent years the U.S. economy has begun to falter and the federal government’s debt has risen rapidly. That has led to a widespread belief that the government needs to reassess how its activities impact economic performance. One facet of the debate is the relationship between military spending and the nation’s industrial base. While it is indisputable that Pentagon research has led to important technological breakthroughs such as computers, jet engines, lasers and the Internet, other facets of the military enterprise may be impeding economic competitiveness and progress.
A case in point is the industrial functions performed by federal facilities such as depots and shipyards. These facilities, which typically employ thousands of workers, often provide services that could be obtained from private companies. In the process, they drive up the government’s fixed costs, contributing to budget deficits. They also fracture the product life-cycle of combat systems by requiring transfer of the systems from the private sector to the public sector, largely severing the relationship between developers and maintainers. In addition, they undercut the potential for economies of scale that have long been recognized as crucial to maximizing efficiency. Beyond that, they reduce the trade competitiveness of some of the nation’s biggest exporters while slowing the pace of innovation in the industrial segment of the economy.
This report explains why performance of industrial activities in military depots and shipyards can be detrimental to the nation’s broader economic goals. It acknowledges the contributions of public-sector facilities, but argues that the range of industrial functions they accomplish should be limited to assure they do not impede the potential of the larger economy. The report was written by Dr. Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute staff as part of the institute’s continuing inquiry into the relationship between U.S. economic and security policies.
###
end
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
January 17, 2012
DOT&E Report On Army Tactical Wheeled Vehicles, Strykers Released
The office of the Pentagon's chief weapons tester, Michael Gilmore, released a report last week with a variety of recommendations and updates concerning the Army's vehicle fleet, mostly pointing out where additional testing and design tweaking remains necessary.
When it comes to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, the Army's intended replacement for the humvee that is poised to be approved for its engineering and design manufacturing phase this month, Gilmore recommends that the Army continue to "capitalize on lessons learned from the JLTV [technology-development] testing to update the [EMD] Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability Growth Plan," and to "submit a Test and Evaluation Master Plan to support the milestone B decision."
During the TD phase, the Army changed the JLTV's protection requirement to that of a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle, something Gilmore notes could inhibit the vehicle's other requirements, such as mobility.
The Army and Marine Corps, which are partnering on the program, recently revised the JLTV's requirements with an eye toward greater affordability and a more streamlined development schedule.
Gilmore also notes JLTVs tested in the TD phase had "unique safety problems," which "limited the execution of the JLTV User Test Demo to assess ingress/egress, coupling and uncoupling of the trailer and vehicles, and performing the gunner drills."
The vehicles also showed a "lack of adequate storage space for ammunition, restricted visibility due to small windows, positioning of window panels, and
uncomfortable seats with poor seating arrangements."
Three teams have been awarded JLTV technology-demonstration contracts: one team includes Navistar Defense and BAE of York, PA; another includes Lockheed Martin and BAE Armor Holdings; and a third, involving AM General and General Dynamics, is called General Tactical Vehicles. Oshkosh Defense is expected to compete in the EMD phase as an outsider, while Ford is eying the program and Navistar is contemplating a separate solo bid.
In a separate assessment of Force Protection's Cougar ambulance, Gilmore writes that it is operationally effective, but not "operationally suitable due to its poor reliability, which contributed to its low availability." Gilmore also writes that Navistar's MRAP Recovery Vehicle, which underwent a limited user test in fiscal year 2011 as part of Navistar's overarching independent suspension system LUT, is "not operationally effective and not operationally suitable for recovery operations on cross-country terrain" because of its "poor mobility" and combat towing.
"The Navistar MRV is not reliable," Gilmore wrote. "The Navistar MRV is capable of recovering and combat towing damaged MRAP vehicles on flat improved roads."
Gilmore recommends that the MRV improve cross-country mobility, vehicle power and system reliability prior to entering full operational test and evaluation.
Gilmore also recommends that Oshkosh Defense redesign the Special Operations Forces M-ATV to "accommodate larger rear passenger windows improving visibility of SOF operators in the rear to observe their surroundings," as well as fix "firepower related failures" and improve the air flow rate within the vehicle. In its current state, the M-ATV is operationally effective for conducting tactical transport missions, but not operationally effective for conducting unique SOF combat missions, he writes.
For Oshkosh's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, Gilmore recommends that work be done to address "heating, ventilation, and air conditioning failures and improve the reliability of Load Handling System twist lock failures," as well as to "continue exploring additional protection against current underbody and under-wheel threats."
Gilmore is also bullish on the Army's plans for competitive humvee recapitalization, known as the Medium Expanded Capacity Vehicle. In his report, he notes that "ballistic testing of early [humvee] blast mitigation system design indicates that achieving underbody protection equivalent to that provided by the MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle is feasible."
Gilmore provides a positive review of the increased protection provided by the new Stryker Double-V Hull vehicle developed by General Dynamics Land Systems, and recommends only that the Army should increase space in the driver's compartment to accommodate larger soldiers.
Meanwhile, Gilmore writes that the Army should continue to work on the mobility of the Stryker Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Reconnaissance
Vehicle, which suffered under the additional weight of protective slat armor.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside Defense
GAO: Force Protection Features Cost SAIC-Boeing In GCV Competition
Science Applications International Corp. and Boeing were excluded from the Army's Ground Combat Vehicle program last year because of concerns over their design's force-protection features, a Government Accountability Office decision reveals.
At issue is the industry team's proposal for an active protection system, aimed at destroying incoming rockets and grenades, and the design of its underbody armor, aimed at protecting a GCV's crew against improvised explosive devices. Force protection was a major factor on which offerors were judged when the Army awarded development contracts for the multibillion-dollar program last summer.
Contract awards went to BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems. The SAIC-Boeing team came up empty and subsequently protested the Army's award decision. The team's principal argument held that the Army subjected its offering to a more demanding evaluation process than the other two proposals.
In a redacted protest decision issued by GAO last week, auditors explain their determination, reached in early December, that the Army held all three companies to the same standards. The 20-page opinion contains a plethora of details surrounding the case, including an assessment by the Army that officials had "concerns with all three offerors' force-protection solutions."
The sections discussing the characteristics of SAIC's proposal for an APS are heavily redacted. The bottom line in the Army's argument against the offering was that the company was unable to produce "substantiating data to support its performance claims," the GAO opinion states. Specifically, Army officials questioned that the company team would be able to improve the APS' response time so that it can defeat a specific round, the name of which was deleted from the GAO document.
The opinion addresses SAIC's claim that its offer is based on the Puma vehicle, used by the German army, and therefore should have ranked higher in the Army evaluation system. Industry team officials made the argument that a GCV based on an existing design would be less fraught with risk than a completely new vehicle design, as BAE and GDLS proposed.
Government lawyers determined that the Army had taken this argument into account, but noted the significant level of effort involved in modifying the Puma so it can fulfill the U.S. requirement of seating a nine-member squad.
The SAIC-Boeing underbelly protection design was found to constitute a "weakness," according to the GAO opinion. When asked by the Army to provide more information about it, company officials responded that the information was classified and belonged to the German ministry of defense. "SAIC . . . responded that the information the Army was seeking was set out in a proprietary, classified drawing, which SAIC was not permitted to deliver," according to the GAO opinion.
The company offered to provide details to U.S. government personnel under the condition of non-disclosure agreements, but the Army judged the design as "uncertain." While the German defense ministry offered classified briefings to the Army on the underbody protection test results and simulated models, Army officials declined because it would have required them to travel to Germany. The German stipulation also was that no notes were to be taken and no documents handed over.
Consequently, the Army's characterization of a weakness due to the lack of data was justified, according to GAO attorneys.
Additional Army concerns with the SAIC-Boeing proposal included insufficient head clearance for crew members, "seating system integration problems," a risk of toxic fumes in the crew compartment due to the "battery pack" placement, and "various hazards inhibiting egress to the rear of the GCV," according to the GAO document.
Source-selection officials gave SAIC several warnings that the company's proposal would be rejected if critical weaknesses remained after a round of proposal revisions, GAO said.
Auditors considered only the Army's actions during the evaluation process, not the substance of the service's arguments against the SAIC-Boeing proposal.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
InsideDefense.com
Keeping America Competitive: The Military Needs To Limit Its Industrial Roles
During the Cold War, the U.S. military acquired a vast network of public-sector industrial facilities and private-sector suppliers. Over time, a division of labor emerged between the two segments of the defense industrial base: private companies would develop and manufacture combat systems, while public facilities would maintain and repair them. Although this arrangement required the government to fund two parallel industrial systems, it worked reasonably well as long as the U.S. economy generated the wealth necessary to support a vast “military-industrial complex.”
However, in recent years the U.S. economy has begun to falter and the federal government’s debt has risen rapidly. That has led to a widespread belief that the government needs to reassess how its activities impact economic performance. One facet of the debate is the relationship between military spending and the nation’s industrial base. While it is indisputable that Pentagon research has led to important technological breakthroughs such as computers, jet engines, lasers and the Internet, other facets of the military enterprise may be impeding economic competitiveness and progress.
A case in point is the industrial functions performed by federal facilities such as depots and shipyards. These facilities, which typically employ thousands of workers, often provide services that could be obtained from private companies. In the process, they drive up the government’s fixed costs, contributing to budget deficits. They also fracture the product life-cycle of combat systems by requiring transfer of the systems from the private sector to the public sector, largely severing the relationship between developers and maintainers. In addition, they undercut the potential for economies of scale that have long been recognized as crucial to maximizing efficiency. Beyond that, they reduce the trade competitiveness of some of the nation’s biggest exporters while slowing the pace of innovation in the industrial segment of the economy.
This report explains why performance of industrial activities in military depots and shipyards can be detrimental to the nation’s broader economic goals. It acknowledges the contributions of public-sector facilities, but argues that the range of industrial functions they accomplish should be limited to assure they do not impede the potential of the larger economy. The report was written by Dr. Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute staff as part of the institute’s continuing inquiry into the relationship between U.S. economic and security policies.
###
end
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
Parables of Jesus: The Wheat and the Tares
Pastor Doug Batchelor
Everlasting Gospel
End of the Age: Parables of Jesus: The Wheat and the Tares
podcast {mp3} 58:30
Sources;
http://mcaf.ee/2zx9m
http://mcaf.ee/t92o8
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
Everlasting Gospel
End of the Age: Parables of Jesus: The Wheat and the Tares
podcast {mp3} 58:30
Sources;
http://mcaf.ee/2zx9m
http://mcaf.ee/t92o8
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
Today's Money Advise
Porter Stansberry Radio
Today's Money Advise
02.04.2012
podcast {mp3} 73:48
download | subscribe
archives
Source;
http://mcaf.ee/eik52
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
Today's Money Advise
02.04.2012
podcast {mp3} 73:48
download | subscribe
archives
Source;
http://mcaf.ee/eik52
Copyright 2012 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
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