Don't Miss This One, Folks

[Andi]

"This one" being the best thing I've read so far about the whole Scott Thomas affair. Short, sweet and dead-on.

Pride!

[Greyhawk]

Stars and Stripes:

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Air Force Capt. Alysun Kossow is what you might call “fashion-challenged.”

When not in uniform, you’ll likely find the Spangdahlem-based officer in ratty Converse tennis shoes instead of Prada heels. And if she does dress up, she breaks out her favorites: a pair of pink polka-dot heels.

Those who know her say her style of dress matches her personality: quirky, cute and comical.

The 27-year-old aircraft maintenance officer might just be the worst-dressed woman in America.

Kossow is one of 10 women selected as finalists for People magazine’s worst-to-best-dressed contest. Readers can vote on the publication’s Web site for the woman they think most needs some help in the fashion department.

Actually, all she'd have to do is show up in Iraq wearing a set of those effing ridiculous "ABU"s to win hands down.

Speaking of military uniforms unfit to wear in a desert environment, don't fret! The Air Force has a solution: cut the pockets off to make it cooler!

These are “OK if you want to carry some stuff,” Brady said. But when the pockets are empty, there are three layers of material in the top, making the uniform blouse hotter.

Feedback from deployed airmen indicated that the pockets are “not something people want or need,” he said.

The pockets “seemed like a good idea at the time, it turns out it wasn’t,” Brady said. “We’ll get rid of it.”

For airmen who already have been issued the uniform and don’t like the pockets, Brady recommended they do to the interior pocket what Athnos has done to hers: “cut it out if you don’t like it.”

Leaving you to suffer in 120-degree heat in just one layer of triple heavyweight fabric designed to hold a spiffy crease without ever being ironed. Believe me - feedback from deployed Airman is "Get me out of this piece of shit!"

Once again, sign me "Not just looking cool in my ACUs".

Floating disaster relief

[Eagle1]

As reported here, the aircraft carrier museum ship USS Intrepid is available to be used as a contingency Emergency Operations Center for New York in the event of a disaster or attack.

As noted here, about 50% of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coast (and a larger percent within 50 miles of navigable waters).

After the Katrina experience, in which disaster relief from the sea played a major role, should we be looking at more contingency plans involving the use of disaster relief ships and floating command centers (like Intrepid )?

Shouldn't earthquake prone areas like San Francisco and Los Angeles and hurricane risk areas ((Miami) have designated emergency relief vessels (with supplies of food, water, shelter and communications gear on board) on stand by within a few hours sailing? Especially during known risk periods such as hurricane season. Or is the expense too great given the relatively low probability of very serious danger?

Of course, the same ships could be used to respond to terrorist attack scenarios...

News of Afghanistan - Edition 63

[Major John]

The King is dead, Taliban just being Taliban, jirga-mania and Iranian meddling all found in this weeks installment of the News.