News for today's 2018: 06/10/13

On holidays!

9:59 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4LsKm0VZK94U2p5Xp-n__JHn2aQ6r9nZhXpO6Gs1ZA6NUjzgTKU4KdO4OIrFFxrw7p8zoB4bJ1lSpN4gXZSWAyXO5QrPzTbRXeh8O9_BZL5lG2Eh-D0sx58rxneL2Sx1-vawwfSX0kPH/s640/blogger-image-1788081453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4LsKm0VZK94U2p5Xp-n__JHn2aQ6r9nZhXpO6Gs1ZA6NUjzgTKU4KdO4OIrFFxrw7p8zoB4bJ1lSpN4gXZSWAyXO5QrPzTbRXeh8O9_BZL5lG2Eh-D0sx58rxneL2Sx1-vawwfSX0kPH/s640/blogger-image-1788081453.jpg"></a></div>We leave Dublin in the lashing rain - we are on our way to the Sunshine State - Key West, Florida<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSca5zbntwqCOWhnu7E4gYP5DstUEbqeWxpWc5Rk-tPk74R23kfQIIlEd55XD2Svt-jxbZtCx9ikQl53CHiepNsa2ZfznT4eg-hAhpNr9WvRH_5zmW0UAeQYW-DAL0QdlwzKosXPXH55hg/s640/blogger-image-716497945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSca5zbntwqCOWhnu7E4gYP5DstUEbqeWxpWc5Rk-tPk74R23kfQIIlEd55XD2Svt-jxbZtCx9ikQl53CHiepNsa2ZfznT4eg-hAhpNr9WvRH_5zmW0UAeQYW-DAL0QdlwzKosXPXH55hg/s640/blogger-image-716497945.jpg"></a></div>

On holidays!

We leave Dublin in the lashing rain - we are on our way to the Sunshine State - Key West, Florida

Gotta Go!!

9:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGTeBCtzfai320yBmj11bPFU20rvyWSiQx9Aw3waOJfvmqDHIMcoJKdpkbiSUpOJJbUow9Uhla5p_9NLI1wRvNZnj4pqKU-9dCdefuywV64llkBTy3BB8OmNN2lzL3zN8-7u80aD7X6Q/s1600/Vince+Mullet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGTeBCtzfai320yBmj11bPFU20rvyWSiQx9Aw3waOJfvmqDHIMcoJKdpkbiSUpOJJbUow9Uhla5p_9NLI1wRvNZnj4pqKU-9dCdefuywV64llkBTy3BB8OmNN2lzL3zN8-7u80aD7X6Q/s400/Vince+Mullet.JPG" width="400" /></a>“Love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone.” ― Mitch Albom I am not a huge Mitch Albom fan, but he has, over the years, written some stuff that is quote worthy.  And the aforementioned quote, is one of them. Why is that you ask? Well?  Let me tell you… My brother Vince died yesterday, and well?  I still love him, and more importantly, he loves EVERYONE!! No shit…Seriously?  Yes, he loved damn near every person in the world. And here is the thing….The man was funny, and being funny is what we are all about here on IWS Radio. And you know what?  Have you ever met that guy or doll who was unintentionally funny?  Yeah?  Well that was my brother, Vince. I remember some 20 years ago, Vince and I decided to seal coat Mom and Dad’s driveway…Being men, we didn’t read the directions on the seal coat product. We spent eight hours, 200 dollars, and a case of beer on a project that should have taken two hours, 50 bucks, and a twelve pack. Neither Vince or I noticed that the seal coat product that we used worked best when water is applied to the driveway first. However when we finally DID get finished…the driveway turned out to be the purest of ebony, while Vince and I were drunker than Lot while being accosted by his daughters. Vinnie and I had many a good time together, some that are so heinous, that I shall not talk about today, nor will you, “Mizz Tanzy of the Rainforest”, whom Vince and I “met” backstage at the Greene County Fair in 1992 for the price of three Tilt-a-Whirl tickets and a warm, 24 ounce can of Pabst. Shut your whore mouth, Mizz Tanzy!! Vinnie was an anachronism as well…He as many of you know, kept the mullet.  He wore sweat socks with stripes, went to bed at ten, and at Christmas, instead of buying gift cards, he picked out awesomely personal gifts for people. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLp-eKr5_lCyifhrc9dxFjAc13UkEmU6jaUJW8uZ2zWa1guKlXRV0CIcniAwh9fudJvuG7k_WLGiwRh6JxqUcOgb8aJ2cvaxBvNIdc69S1mE2kghTK5yEkWBlhyphenhyphenOcDkmMnYWUcZd-36A/s1600/Vince.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLp-eKr5_lCyifhrc9dxFjAc13UkEmU6jaUJW8uZ2zWa1guKlXRV0CIcniAwh9fudJvuG7k_WLGiwRh6JxqUcOgb8aJ2cvaxBvNIdc69S1mE2kghTK5yEkWBlhyphenhyphenOcDkmMnYWUcZd-36A/s400/Vince.jpg" width="282" /></a> He was…my mom.  Okay, only I would have never breast fed from him, which I didn’t from my own mom, and now? Okay, wait….This is getting creepy, but to get back to the point… Brother Vinnie encapsulated and personified IWS Radio… He was a guy who stayed on top of the news and would usually say of President Obama, Congress, or just about anyone who had something “important” to say… “Really?  Are you fucking stupid?” Yeah…He was more into personal fun and frivolity, and I mean that in a family way, and rather than getting caught up into the bullshit that is a politically driven life... He loved his family; we still love him, and in the words of Mitch Albom…YOU still live among us, “even after you are gone.” Here’s to you Vinnie.  Long may your Freak Flag wave!! Cheers!! Matt-Man <a href="mailto:mattmaniws@ymail.com">mattmaniws@ymail.com</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MattMan_IWS" target="_blank">@mattman_iws</a></div>

Gotta Go!!

“Love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone.” ― Mitch Albom I am not a huge Mitch Albom fan, but he has, over the years, written so...

E3: Sony Press Conference: Releases, Hype, and Details

8:22 PM Tukiyooo 0

<a><img height="750" src="http://blog.lefigaro.fr/jeuxvideo/playstation-network.jpg" width="750"></a><ul><li>Exclusive PlayStation 4 releases:</li><ul><li>Social media is important</li><li>Over 40 titles in development, 20 of which to release in the first year</li><ul><li>12 of those 20 are new IP</li></ul><li>The Order</li><ul><li>Exclusive to PS4</li><li>Looks beautiful</li><li>Seems to be a steam punk inspired game</li><li>Shooter</li></ul><li>Killzone: Shadow Fall</li><ul><li>Sci-fi shooter</li><li>Launch</li></ul><li>Drive Club</li><ul><li>Driving game</li><li>Launch</li></ul><li>Infamous: Second Son</li><ul><li>Photo realistic</li><li>Looks to have some inique gameplay elements</li><li>Second quarter 2017</li></ul><li>Knack</li><ul><li> Nothing inspiring</li><li>Launch</li></ul><li>The Dark Sorcerer</li><ul><li>Game play footage to demonstrate the emotional availability of the PS4</li><li>Very pretty and great facial expressions</li><li>A game I would definitely play</li><li>Demo tomorrow at 1 PM</li></ul><li>The Witness</li><ul><li>First to the PS4</li></ul><li>Transistor</li><ul><li>PS4 first</li><li>From the creators of Bastion</li><li>Highly stylized platformer</li><li>Coming in 2014</li></ul><li>Indie developers will be able to self-publish their own content; games include:</li><ul><li>Don’t Starve</li><li>Mercenary Kings</li><li>Octodad</li><li>Secret Ponchos</li><li>Galak-Z</li><li>Outlast</li><li>Odd World Inhabitants</li><li>Galaxy</li><li>All making exclusive console debut on PS4</li></ul><li>Diablo 3 will have PlayStation inspired items exclusive to the PlayStation</li><li>Final Fantasy 15</li><ul><li>Photo realistic graphics</li><li>Subtitled</li></ul><li>Kingdom Hearts 3</li><ul><li>3D</li><li>Looks good</li></ul><li>Final Fantasy 14</li><ul><li>Coming exclusively to PS 3 & 4</li></ul><li>Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag</li><ul><li>World premiere demo</li><li>It doesn’t look any better than the Xbox One</li><li>Game looks fun</li><li>Demo is filled with environment, lots of sneaking and action</li></ul><li>Watchdogs</li><ul><li>Nothing new from the Xbox One press conference</li><li>Play the way you want</li><li>Different demo than this morning’s conference</li><li>Looks good</li><li>Reminds me of a modern day cross between Thief and Assassin’s Creed</li><li>Additional hour of gameplay exclusive to PS4</li></ul><li>NBA2K14</li><li>Elder Scrolls Online</li><ul><li>Spring 2014</li><li>Exclusive beta</li><li>Also coming to the Xbox One</li></ul><li>Mad Max</li><ul><li>Road warrior survival kit exclusive to PlayStation</li></ul><li>140 games in development, 100 available in first year</li><ul><li>40 exclusive titles</li></ul><li>Destiny</li><ul><li>World game play premiere</li><li>Beautiful looking</li><li>Reminds me of an MMO trying to be a multiplayer shooter</li><li>Instant access to multiplayer, aka public events</li><li>You can see the influence on Halo on the game</li><li>Exclusive partnership with publishers</li></ul></ul><li> PlayStation 4 Pricing, versions, used games, and miscellaneous:</li><ul><li>Unveiled the PS4 hardware</li><ul><li> It is very thin</li></ul><li>Capitalizing on the whole of the Sony Entertainment family</li><ul><li>Music, video, movies, etc.</li><li>New programming exclusive to the PlayStation Network geared to gamers</li><li>Music and movie unlimited available on day one for PSN, Android and Apple devices</li></ul><li>It is trying to be an entertainment console like the Xbox One</li><li>No usage restrictions</li><li>Discs based</li><ul><li>Don’t need to be connected online to play or to authenticate</li></ul><li>Background downloading</li><li>Cross game voice chat</li><li>Ustream live streaming</li><li>PS Plus membership carries over from PS3 and Vita</li><ul><li>New title every month for free</li></ul><li>$399 price point, available this holiday season in US and UK</li></ul><li> PlayStation 3 releases:</li><ul><li>The last of Us</li><ul><li>Releases this Friday</li><li>Looks amazing, a lot of positive buzz about the game</li></ul><li>Puppeteer</li><ul><li>Looks fun</li></ul><li> Rain</li><ul><li>Looks creepy</li></ul><li>Beyond</li><ul><li> Looks good</li><li>Spy, shooter type game with a female lead</li></ul><li> Gran Turismo 6</li><ul><li>Looks mediocre in comparison to next gen driving games announced today</li></ul><li>Batman</li><ul><li>Fall 2013</li><li>Looks phenomenal</li><li>Black Mask is the baddie</li><li>Exclusive content to PS3</li></ul><li>Grand Theft Auto 5</li><ul><li>Exclusive PS3 bundle available September 2013</li></ul></ul><li>PS Vita announcements:</li><ul><li>Just beginning its life cycle</li><li>More than 125 dedicated games</li><li>Nearly 60% of all purchases are digital</li><li>The Walking Dead is coming to Vita</li><li>PS4 is designed at the system level to use the Vita – the ultimate companion device</li></ul></ul> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:917b57ad-a7e8-4666-bc72-a805d60c096b" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Sony" rel="tag">Sony</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PlayStation+4" rel="tag">PlayStation 4</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PlayStation+3" rel="tag">PlayStation 3</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PS+Vita" rel="tag">PS Vita</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/The+Lsst+of+Us" rel="tag">The Lsst of Us</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Batman" rel="tag">Batman</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Assassin's+Creed+4%3a+Black+Flag" rel="tag">Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/The+Dark+Sorcerer" rel="tag">The Dark Sorcerer</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Elder+Scrolls+Online" rel="tag">Elder Scrolls Online</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/The+Order" rel="tag">The Order</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Killzone" rel="tag">Killzone</a></div>

E3: Sony Press Conference: Releases, Hype, and Details

Bethseda Bungie Destiny E3 Elder Scrolls MMO PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 The Elder Scrolls Online Xbox One E3: Sony Press Conference: Releases, Hype, and Details

Exclusive PlayStation 4 releases: Social media is important Over 40 titles in development, 20 of which to release in the first year 12 of th...

AUSTRALIA'S DEFENSE PAPER 2013:

6:45 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1y3YqSeA6BVgK5Z4cKTZCVDStX1YkJ9SAo_aWmchYZXtF8I5dcxnQUTNP-evSpavgLt54jrk0Vr6fTSctkyFIpdTPryfw017NrJvQlSEQpbYE6D7yvrrxjIL1Qo3cSYiqR9hN6aYpMQG/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1y3YqSeA6BVgK5Z4cKTZCVDStX1YkJ9SAo_aWmchYZXtF8I5dcxnQUTNP-evSpavgLt54jrk0Vr6fTSctkyFIpdTPryfw017NrJvQlSEQpbYE6D7yvrrxjIL1Qo3cSYiqR9hN6aYpMQG/s400/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">TOWARDS MIDDLE POWER OR STRATEGIC WITHDRAWAL?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">By Murray Hunter via Geopolitcalmonitor.com </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">AUSTRALIA'S 2013 defense white paper is a very paradoxical document. While there were very few surprises in the purchases and future spending outlook, the spirit of the paper appears to signal the country's abandonment of its self-view as a "middle power" into what could be argued as "strategic withdrawal.” This is particularly evident in the fact that defense spending is expected to be as low as 1.5-2.0% of GDP over the coming decade.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">A MORE NEUTRAL STANCE TOWARDS CHINESE AND US RIVALRY</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">  </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOfcMlZSVpXlGmWkkItMlwR6lXpfRveGGlsVPf4a7FizN1vOfhSdgi7X9pjfw8LVsGi9npWkJFbAskC7ov33TNTauRlN_9k4iTiMKdy4N0cloFz3XaH0Lu91k1eJKi7nkRsLRhNau3dew/s1600/ChinaUSAw_rdax_384x216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOfcMlZSVpXlGmWkkItMlwR6lXpfRveGGlsVPf4a7FizN1vOfhSdgi7X9pjfw8LVsGi9npWkJFbAskC7ov33TNTauRlN_9k4iTiMKdy4N0cloFz3XaH0Lu91k1eJKi7nkRsLRhNau3dew/s320/ChinaUSAw_rdax_384x216.jpg" width="320" /></a>Notably, the white paper doesn't choose between CHINA and the US. This time around, Canberra has undertaken a much more realistic strategic assessment of CHINA-US rivalry and AUSTRALIA'S position within this nexus. AUSTRALIA has rhetorically dropped sides and stated that it accepts, and encourages CHINA'S rise militarily within the region in line with its growth as an economic power. AUSTRALIA, unlike in the 2009 white paper under former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, has not taken sides, and through hardware acquisition and spending plans it has effectively declared itself as an onlooker in the region. This is indeed a major shift in AUSTRALIAN defense policy.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">Read related article on AUSTRALIA’S 2009 DEFENSE WHITE PAPER at:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">AUSTRALIA IS KEEN TO AVOID NON WIN CHOICE BETWEEN CHINA AND US</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/06/australia-and-china.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/06/australia-and-china.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">This reiterates AUSTRALIA'S future reliance on security from 'soft power' options. The white paper hopes for a new status quo arising between CHINA and the US, believing that there is substantial cooperation between the two powers in today, one which could give rise to a peaceful co-existence. However this could be seen as being too optimistic where the US is trying to maintain military primacy in the region, and CHINA is trying to assert its emerging status. AUSTRALIA is betting on 'strategic cooperation' between the two, rather than 'strategic competition'. The white paper leaves AUSTRALIA with very little capability in SOUTH-EAST ASIA. It has chosen to do nothing in terms of upgrading regional capabilities, harming its response options in the face of natural disasters and political upheavals that could be a threat to AUSTRALIA. The government is relying on the policy concepts outlined in the "AUSTRALIA in the ASIAN Century" white paper to engage ASIA through 'soft power' options, bilateral, and multilateral initiatives. Though just how effective AUSTRALIA really is at engaging ASIA via 'soft power' remains a big question.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">AUSTRALIA’S NORTHERN NEIGHBOR INDONESIA, ASPIRING OF BECOMING THE LEADING MILITARY FORCE OF THE REGION</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5sAElvaB4H4ZNZsv02UDVk5dbaJf737zWfwfv97ktHq_z0dioKGxfo4MsyG6Dg2uLE4u8GWcqtNPp2OX9yyYgG6iZzR5NmHCjNFj-RdMTUb9dFPxI4wR2jj2uTck1jiMINl1kEUjwERr/s1600/An_Indonesian_Air_Force_Sukhoi_SU-27_touches_its_wheels_down_after_an_Exercise_Pitch_Black_2012_mission.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5sAElvaB4H4ZNZsv02UDVk5dbaJf737zWfwfv97ktHq_z0dioKGxfo4MsyG6Dg2uLE4u8GWcqtNPp2OX9yyYgG6iZzR5NmHCjNFj-RdMTUb9dFPxI4wR2jj2uTck1jiMINl1kEUjwERr/s320/An_Indonesian_Air_Force_Sukhoi_SU-27_touches_its_wheels_down_after_an_Exercise_Pitch_Black_2012_mission.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h1 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="id">Indonesian Air force Sukhoi SU-27</h1></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">This comes at a time when the INDONESIAN President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono just announced INDONESIA'S aspirations of building up military forces to be bigger and more modern than countries like AUSTRALIA, MALAYSIA, and SINGAPORE, potentially filling the regional military vacuum to the near North of AUSTRALIA.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE UPGRADING </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">AUSTRALIA has opted to purchase 12 new Super Hornet fighter planes with "Growler" technology that can knock out an enemy's communication and electronic capabilities, which will supplement existing fighter capabilities. With the purchase of 72 5th generation joint strike fighters, this makes for a good "budget defense" of the air-sea gap that separates AUSTRALIA from ASIA, along the lines of the old 'Fortress AUSTRALIA Policy' under the Fraser Government back in 1976. The submarine issue has been very contentious within the AUSTRALIAN defense establishment. According to the white paper, what AUSTRALIA wants to do with its submarines is to either upgrade the existing Collins design, or create a completely new design. This is still very vague and suggests that the defense establishment itself doesn't yet have the answers. Another unanswered question is: 'what will the submarines actually do?' <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDS-loShX8NFsUCCmMDWobFaWfFVk0HcKGymkqe5VVAiCOE5clrXe89yiukJbGFoS3mdwFt4hYC7XCMP5PnvspC5HAM_7iVH7PmZ4KpFukjkt9ojmD_tXQaqgLwgZ901pb6U2ATtzClR32/s1600/ob_ecbd61_australian-defence-force.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDS-loShX8NFsUCCmMDWobFaWfFVk0HcKGymkqe5VVAiCOE5clrXe89yiukJbGFoS3mdwFt4hYC7XCMP5PnvspC5HAM_7iVH7PmZ4KpFukjkt9ojmD_tXQaqgLwgZ901pb6U2ATtzClR32/s200/ob_ecbd61_australian-defence-force.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> This submarine option could have more to do with jobs in SOUTH AUSTRALIA than actually strategic defense considerations. SOUTH AUSTRALIA is in need of employment opportunities and the construction of new submarines would boost the local economy. Even though any real work on these submarines would not occur for some years to come.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> CHINA IS IMPORTANT TO AUSTRALIA This paper could be seen as trying to achieve many objectives, where none are really adequately covered. Although it defines a new AUSTRALIAN defense-scope as the INDO-PACIFIC region and, through rhetoric, the paper tries to hold onto the image of a 'middle power'; in reality it is signaling to the region, particularly ASEAN, that AUSTRALIA will be no power at all. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">GEOPOLITICAL BALANCING ACTS The framers of the 2013 defense white paper probably had two objectives in mind. The first is coming to the recognition that CHINA is important to AUSTRALIA.  This means placating CHINA and making amends for the aggravating rhetoric of the 2009 defense white paper that occurred under the Rudd Government, where CHINA was painted as a threat. This will please CHINA, but will probably disappoint the USA, as the AUSTRALIAN white paper does nothing to support the US "ASIAN PIVOT". AUSTRALIA'S symbolic contribution of 15 specialists in the KOREAN Foal Eagle exercises last month really shows the impotency of AUSTRALIA'S defense capabilities from any regional perspective. The second objective was to avoid any higher financial commitment. The 2013 white paper shows that Treasury rules the roost in Canberra and the objective of fiscal restraint overrides any other policy issues in government. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzXTtDTJVBXTj5rdH227zuHnpZ5m1QFKKd5HhQ4coWeKoXKKjCmgljZ0xTDcUXNO2AJGdBn4RKpQqcH-tUHPycvuTaOIA6LOXVbNL1R1dQTqNR-KTutR3Q7Bx9Kl-TnwtvH_3kUpXeel0/s1600/Screen-shot-2012-03-12-at-9.28.36-PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzXTtDTJVBXTj5rdH227zuHnpZ5m1QFKKd5HhQ4coWeKoXKKjCmgljZ0xTDcUXNO2AJGdBn4RKpQqcH-tUHPycvuTaOIA6LOXVbNL1R1dQTqNR-KTutR3Q7Bx9Kl-TnwtvH_3kUpXeel0/s320/Screen-shot-2012-03-12-at-9.28.36-PM.png" width="320" /></a>It could be argued that by default, AUSTRALIA is actually taking the "NEW ZEALAND" option of scaling down its defense forces in want of a threat. No frigate purchases, though a few faster patrol boats; updated strike fighters with modern electronic attack measures; a stalled submarine decision- this all looks like a strategic retreat. The risk in this white paper is that the Gillard Government is signaling to SOUTHEAST ASIA that its interests aren't there anymore. Unfortunately, once again AUSTRALIA has failed to debate the issues facing the nation and opted for a 'band aid' approach, which will severely weaken AUSTRALIA'S defense future defense position, which seems to have become one of the lowest priorities of government today. However the 2013 white paper may be very short lived as AUSTRALIAN defense policy. AUSTRALIA faces an election this coming September where opinion polls strongly indicate that the Gillard Government will lose. The Federal opposition led by Tony Abbot has said that it plans to review AUSTRALIA'S defense needs and options once again. This leaves open the possibility that the whole process will be starting up again rather quickly.</div>

AUSTRALIA'S DEFENSE PAPER 2013:

TOWARDS MIDDLE POWER OR STRATEGIC WITHDRAWAL? By Murray Hunter via Geopolitcalmonitor.com AUSTRALIA'S 2013 defense white paper is a ve...

Waynesboro Circuit Court Clerk will not release concealed weapon permit info to RPV

5:06 PM Tukiyooo 0

<a href="http://blogs.nbc12.com/decisionvirginia/2013/06/before-new-law-rpv-requests-addresses-of-concealed-weapon-permit-holders.html">Last Friday</a> Ryan Nobles at Richmond's NBC TV-12 reported that the Republican Party of Virginia had submitted FOIAs to state Circuit Court Clerks for the names and contact information of concealed weapon permit holders. Today he reported that at <a href="http://blogs.nbc12.com/decisionvirginia/2013/06/clerks-will-not-turn-over-permit-records-to-rpv.html">least twelve clerks would not be releasing that info</a> including the local city of Waynesboro. <a href="http://blogs.nbc12.com/decisionvirginia/2013/06/clerks-will-not-turn-over-permit-records-to-rpv.html">Nobles wrote</a>: <blockquote>Last Friday, <a href="http://blogs.nbc12.com/decisionvirginia/2013/06/before-new-law-rpv-requests-addresses-of-concealed-weapon-permit-holders.html">we broke the news</a> that the RPV had requested the personal information of hundreds of thousands of permit holders to communicate their political message to them leading up to the fall elections. The RPV was legally allowed to ask for the material, but in less than a month the release of that information will become illegal. The new law to seal the records of permit holders was passed in the 2o13 Virginia General Assembly session and was sponsored and championed by the Republican nominee for Attorney General, Sen. Mark Obenshain. </blockquote>Clerks who were reported as denying RPV's request represented the localities of Waynesboro, Dinwiddie, Winchester, Hopewell, Colonial Heights, Chesterfield, Southampton, Suffolk, Middlesex,Isle of Wight, Bedford, and Prince George.

Waynesboro Circuit Court Clerk will not release concealed weapon permit info to RPV

circuit court clerk FOIA Republican Party of Virginia Waynesboro Waynesboro Circuit Court Clerk will not release concealed weapon permit info to RPV

Last Friday Ryan Nobles at Richmond's NBC TV-12 reported that the Republican Party of Virginia had submitted FOIAs to state Circuit Co...

Tuesday is Primary Day in Virginia

4:38 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5H-RBXkYO2w18-QV8PLNABY5DgyBsRYjNCS_p5ISh7VhTQCbdOkjcH6e2uyZY0rHIXJ6mujJ15xE1-zeyiOjTJRaHdqisX-YE7DkWDQe9sc8XIxeJ_Q0rPDA0zNCEFPdzwSzW33RGjdI3/s1600/voting+booth+graphic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5H-RBXkYO2w18-QV8PLNABY5DgyBsRYjNCS_p5ISh7VhTQCbdOkjcH6e2uyZY0rHIXJ6mujJ15xE1-zeyiOjTJRaHdqisX-YE7DkWDQe9sc8XIxeJ_Q0rPDA0zNCEFPdzwSzW33RGjdI3/s1600/voting+booth+graphic.jpeg" /></a></div> Tuesday, June 11, 2013, is Primary Day in Virginia. Voting takes place at your regular polling place between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. <a href="http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/votinginperson.html">Identification will be required</a>, just as last year's November General Election. Changes to the law related to photo ID requirements to vote will not be effective until July 2014. For Democrats, Tuesday is the opportunity to vote for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General candidates. The gubernatorial choice is already in place -- Terry McAuliffe -- because no one stepped up to challenge him. That leaves two choices for lieutenant governor: State Senator Ralph Northam (D-6th Senate District) and Aneesh Chopra who is a techie guy out of the Obama administration. Also two choices for attorney general: State Senator Mark Herring (D-33rd Senate District), and former federal prosecutor Justin Fairfax. If you're a Republican, the Top Three candidates were chosen for you at the recent Republican Party of Virginia convention in Richmond: Ken Cuccinelli for Governor, E.W. Jackson for Lieutenant Governor, and Mark Obenshain for Attorney General. Republicans have <a href="http://electionresults.virginia.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=HOD&map=CTY">eight contested House of Delegates races</a>: - 15th District: Incumbent Todd Gilbert versus Mark Prince - 16th District - Open Seat: Les Adams versus Ken Bowman - 28th District: Incumbent Speaker of the House Bill Howell versus Craig Ennis - 29th District: Incumbent Beverly Sherwood versus Mark Berg - 33rd District: Incumbent Joe May versus David LaRock - 54th District: Incumbent Bobby Orrock versus Dustin Curtis - 6th District: Jeffrey Campbell versus Jack Weaver - 85th District: Scott Taylor vs Gary Byler vs Jeremy Waters Democrats have <a href="http://electionresults.virginia.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=HOD&map=CTY">three contested House of Delegates races</a>: - 63rd District: Evandra Thompson versus Rosalyn Dance - 86th District: Jennifer Boysko versus Herbert Kemp - 90th District: Rick James versus Algie Howell, Jr. For more information, check out the <a href="http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/votinginperson.html">State Board of Elections website</a>.

Attorney General candidates governor Lieutenant Governor Primary Virginia Tuesday is Primary Day in Virginia

Tuesday, June 11, 2013, is Primary Day in Virginia. Voting takes place at your regular polling place between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 7:00...

E3: UbiSoft Press Conference:

4:23 PM Tukiyooo 0

<a><img height="668" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixCif6pd5AJ80D15PTN1V-IJdFRlTCBdtmrrAv1tYJas87WCVfd8SnjFjADL8XuCauL4AxBzl2teSLfygczMgYjaESj884UtHlsUtmXC8MEONGlbgIi1QKkvO4rjKc7RvJlwY5hITrUqk/s1600/Ubisoft+PS+Vita.jpg" width="800"></a> Highlights from the <a href="http://www.ubi.com/US/default.aspx">Ubisoft</a> press conference: <ul> <li>Rocksmith 2014 <ul> <li>learn to play guitar <li>October 2013 release</li></ul> <li>Splinter Cell: Blacklist <ul> <li>August 20th release day <li>Biggest game ever <li>single player, co-op, and spies v. mercs game play <li>looks like a this gen title unfortunately</li></ul> <li>Rayman Legendies <ul> <li>September 2013 release <li>looks cute</li></ul> <li>The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot <ul> <li>Persistent world <li>Free to play <li>closed beta now open, <a href="http://www.themightquestcom">www.themightquestcom</a></li></ul> <li>South Park: The Stick of Truth <ul> <li>this holiday <li>current gen console release</li></ul> <li>Next Gen Console releases: <ul> <li>The Crew <ul> <li>Xbox One and PlayStation 4 <li>driving game, criminal element trying to take over citizens <li>online, persistent world – blurred lines between single player, co-op, and multiplayer <li>competition games look better in my opinion <li>all types of driving terrain throughout the United States <li>player picture tags over cars is highly annoying <li>tablet integration with Ipad</li></ul> <li>Watchdogs <ul> <li>Game takes place in Chicago <li>scarily close to reality in light of last weeks revelations <li>social engineering at it’s finest?</li></ul> <li>Just Dance 2014 <ul> <li>all consoles, including Wii U <li>October 2013</li></ul> <li>Rabbids Invasion <ul> <li>television show <li>interactive programming <li>Xbox One title</li></ul> <li>Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag <ul> <li>Pirate game <li>looks fabulous <li>land and sea adventures <li>open world game play</li></ul> <li>Trials Fusion and Trials Frontier <ul> <li>console and smart phone integration <li>Trials: Frontier is exclusive to Xbox One <li>Trials: Fusion on all consoles (current and next gen) <li>2014 release</li></ul> <li>Tom Clancy’s The Division <ul> <li>open world, RPG <li>Xbox One and PlayStation 4 <li>actual game play footage shown <li>tablet integration part of the game <li>chilling, realistic setting <li>looked stunning</li></ul></li></ul></li></ul>   <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:1b5d6845-61ac-42de-89ab-21870a38ace4" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Ubisoft" rel="tag">Ubisoft</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/XBox+One" rel="tag">XBox One</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PlayStation+4" rel="tag">PlayStation 4</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Xbox+360" rel="tag">Xbox 360</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PlayStation+3" rel="tag">PlayStation 3</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/South+Park" rel="tag">South Park</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/The+Stick+of+Truth" rel="tag">The Stick of Truth</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Assassin's+Creed+4%3a+Black+Flag" rel="tag">Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/The+Division.+Tom+Clancy" rel="tag">The Division. Tom Clancy</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Rabbids" rel="tag">Rabbids</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Watchdog" rel="tag">Watchdog</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Just+Dance+2014" rel="tag">Just Dance 2014</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Trials+Fusion" rel="tag">Trials Fusion</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Trials+Frontier" rel="tag">Trials Frontier</a></div>

PlayStation 4 Ubisoft Xbox Xbox One E3: UbiSoft Press Conference:

Highlights from the Ubisoft press conference: Rocksmith 2014 learn to play guitar October 2013 release Splinter Cell: Blacklist Au...

E3: Electronic Art Press Event: Highlights, Games, and Hype

2:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<a><img src="http://www.insidesocialgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/ea-logo.png"></a> Highlights from the Electronic Arts Press Conference: <ul> <li>Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare <ul> <li>3rd person action title <li>XboxOne first and then XBox 360 <li>Co=op included <li>Sunflower is the healer class <li>Cactus is ranged <li>Live demo of the game on stage and it looks FUN <li>Definite must play!</li></ul> <li>Peggle 2 coming this year <li>Titanfall <ul> <li>Spring 2014 <li>Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC <li>Multiplayer game with a single player feel <li>Living, breathing, world</li></ul> <li>Two New Engines <ul> <li>Ignite and Frostbite 3</li></ul> <li>Star Wars: Battlefront <ul> <li>uses Frostbite 3 Engine</li></ul> <li>Need for Speed: Rivals <ul> <li>uses Frostbite 3 <li>Cops v. Racers <li>All Drive: destroys the line between single player, co-op, and multiplayer – One world for all experiences <li>races can start as single player and end in multiplayer <li>tablet integration included <li>Can play as cop or racer <li>Game play footage looks seamless and engaging between single player and multiplayer</li></ul> <li>Dragon Age III: Inquisition <ul> <li>OPEN world <li>Fall 2014 launch <li>Looks jaw dropping <li>Actual game play footage</li></ul> <li>NBA Live 14 <ul> <li>Xbox One and PlayStation 4 <li>Dribbling is the number priority – uses a new technology called Bounce Tech <ul> <li>ball is being released to physics <li>ball is separated from the hand in every dribbling animation</li></ul> <li>Live World with player stats: exclusive push within an hour after the NBA themselves receive the data push</li></ul> <li>Madden NFL 25 <ul> <li>Xbox One and PlayStation 4 <li>Actual game play footage <li>True step locomotion system – precise footwork <li>Lineman is the heart of game play <li>Ignite engine <li>Adrian Peterson revealed as the cover athlete <li>Launches Fall 2013</li></ul> <li>FIFA 14 <ul> <li>Looks great <li>Uses Ignite Engine <li>4 times more calculations per second <li>Fall 2013 <li>Xbox One and PlayStation 4</li></ul> <li>UFC <ul> <li>Ignite Engine <li>MMAI System: fighters can organically alter fighter strategies during the fight <li>Full body deformation: shows what it is like when hit <li>Launches Spring 2014 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4</li></ul> <li>Battlefield 4 <ul> <li>Frostbite 3 Engine <li>Air, land and sea battles <li>Commander mode: birds eye that impacts action on the ground <ul> <li>Console or tablet use</li></ul> <li>Battlelog: connect anytime, anywhere on multiple devices <li>live stream of battles all week during E3 </li></ul> <li>Mirrors Edge 2 <ul> <li>actual game play footage <li>Frostbite 3 Engine <li>No release or console information</li></ul></li></ul>   <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:35e78b27-c076-4e87-97f9-93c1e21c206c" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/E3" rel="tag">E3</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Electronic+Arts" rel="tag">Electronic Arts</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/EA" rel="tag">EA</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Star+Wars%3a+Battleground" rel="tag">Star Wars: Battleground</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Battlefield+4" rel="tag">Battlefield 4</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Need+for+Speed%3a+Rivals" rel="tag">Need for Speed: Rivals</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/EA+Sports" rel="tag">EA Sports</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/NBA+LIve+14" rel="tag">NBA LIve 14</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/MAdden+25" rel="tag">MAdden 25</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/FIFA+14" rel="tag">FIFA 14</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Dragon+Age+III%3a+Inquisition" rel="tag">Dragon Age III: Inquisition</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Mirror's+Edge+2" rel="tag">Mirror's Edge 2</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Titanfall" rel="tag">Titanfall</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/UFC" rel="tag">UFC</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/PLants+v.+Zombies%3a+Garden+Warfare" rel="tag">PLants v. Zombies: Garden Warfare</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Peggle+2" rel="tag">Peggle 2</a></div>

E3 EA Electronic Arts E3: Electronic Art Press Event: Highlights, Games, and Hype

Highlights from the Electronic Arts Press Conference: Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 3rd person action title XboxOne first and...

From my yard: thunderstorms rolling (again) into Augusta County

1:14 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38s9yzCo_xwagei7yC4rdZDEtXB1ZCfXxNZGVb5RZLU_y1RQ2rAykCJN5BHLHFz7m0D9cJFS3T50p5BoyzIUhZvGrGEjBiOpwp1Ep_U5Uw6itCBjYp6fCW-qHDSA3sFSPomaOilbRUsp0/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38s9yzCo_xwagei7yC4rdZDEtXB1ZCfXxNZGVb5RZLU_y1RQ2rAykCJN5BHLHFz7m0D9cJFS3T50p5BoyzIUhZvGrGEjBiOpwp1Ep_U5Uw6itCBjYp6fCW-qHDSA3sFSPomaOilbRUsp0/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The sky west of us was black as the latest round of thunderstorms approached around 3:45 this afternoon. This is looking northwest from our yard.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlaADpyXIi-e6ECf8Cd-42aJUbHd4xc8Lg5g35dEdmXLZyu7FR97HEr0QifEQ794YtG0ZSCA6lrUwDyMTe7PWZDShMxTT-HMRpqNb8LOnzvBNx6DCjVHpv9UCt8JR-NYIFXgb9-xBhuNa/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlaADpyXIi-e6ECf8Cd-42aJUbHd4xc8Lg5g35dEdmXLZyu7FR97HEr0QifEQ794YtG0ZSCA6lrUwDyMTe7PWZDShMxTT-HMRpqNb8LOnzvBNx6DCjVHpv9UCt8JR-NYIFXgb9-xBhuNa/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The is looking southwest.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcXDyY9ekIJAJYa-teM-Yw9cgGr4hajT3KVtLKhqyD1ErorpBXZ-b4yQ15j4w5mcxPQSN6yFnA5_bwcYCP10iColhdqK5RdCGv8oZn1y9djFKFtFWlOKN155vlN90CcqAaUumuB3TWueN/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcXDyY9ekIJAJYa-teM-Yw9cgGr4hajT3KVtLKhqyD1ErorpBXZ-b4yQ15j4w5mcxPQSN6yFnA5_bwcYCP10iColhdqK5RdCGv8oZn1y9djFKFtFWlOKN155vlN90CcqAaUumuB3TWueN/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> This is looking south.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nLDdMTJOAAaY9otVUoCIaq68FEbTRI5j2fyiR4l0DqMJunr7aLp6u7S9gPmVlJwd1JBewKeHU_W-_P7n37iWANDEgv1_2ti5sxMbqAul74IPCFspmVF6_kKcv1hx3CvVoVGGlW9xMgzH/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nLDdMTJOAAaY9otVUoCIaq68FEbTRI5j2fyiR4l0DqMJunr7aLp6u7S9gPmVlJwd1JBewKeHU_W-_P7n37iWANDEgv1_2ti5sxMbqAul74IPCFspmVF6_kKcv1hx3CvVoVGGlW9xMgzH/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Northwest ...</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUO-s90_1Ru3Jy0r5uPWX3SEsFrjVO7yM5RcIImMXja8CiHCyoiOpvnbPXej5Zblp7nxlCWXJD7KeBdSoYVw3f3WdZJIlQUDUHnCzzhgjUXlsfBgdmVv5LtI1tsp_nJLR_7AhPa6FCZJjN/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUO-s90_1Ru3Jy0r5uPWX3SEsFrjVO7yM5RcIImMXja8CiHCyoiOpvnbPXej5Zblp7nxlCWXJD7KeBdSoYVw3f3WdZJIlQUDUHnCzzhgjUXlsfBgdmVv5LtI1tsp_nJLR_7AhPa6FCZJjN/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">... and north-northeast.</div> Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell June 10, 2013

From my yard: thunderstorms rolling (again) into Augusta County

Augusta County flash flood watch severe weather thunderstorms in Virginia tornado watch western Virginia From my yard: thunderstorms rolling (again) into Augusta County

The sky west of us was black as the latest round of thunderstorms approached around 3:45 this afternoon. This is looking northwest from our...

Severe weather warnings over most of Virginia

12:22 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-qtUtjJkCaOIrlJRNBq5ooQwBQwr6-CAsMrhbrwOt1ZVjnv2PQx78I3wI314Vrs98Oo6sWT-dX5tXBBGv3ctdZzJXxQrIA_Of8-LTZaT6wOqfRElNLUs9rkxsoacNWLbQHCQi2d1Poxl/s1600/Weather+map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-qtUtjJkCaOIrlJRNBq5ooQwBQwr6-CAsMrhbrwOt1ZVjnv2PQx78I3wI314Vrs98Oo6sWT-dX5tXBBGv3ctdZzJXxQrIA_Of8-LTZaT6wOqfRElNLUs9rkxsoacNWLbQHCQi2d1Poxl/s400/Weather+map.png" width="400" /></a></div> This weather map is from Richmond-based <a href="http://www.wtvr.com/weather">WTVR CBS-6</a> with a note from meteorologist Zach Daniel that he cannot remember ever seeing a single tornado watch cover this much of Virginias (areas in red). In the Shenandoah Valley, those areas include Augusta, Highland, Rockingham, Page, and Shenandoah until 10:00 p.m. A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for thunderstorms to possibly become capable of producing tornadoes. Here is the latest information passed along by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SVFC14?fref=ts">Swoope Volunteer Fire Department</a> located in Augusta County west of Staunton: TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 293 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 200 PM EDT MON JUN 10 2013 TORNADO WATCH 293 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT FOR OUR AREA 953 AM EDT MON JUN 10 2013   ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR ... * PORTIONS OF VIRGINIA AND NORTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...INV IRGINIA...ALBEMARLE...AUGUSTA... CULPEPER...EASTERN HIGHLAND...GREENE...MADISON...NELSON... NORTHERN FAUQUIER ... ORANGE... PAGE ...RAPPAHANNOCK... ROCKINGHAM... SHENANDOAH... SOUTHERN FAUQUIER...  WARREN AND WESTERN HIGHLAND. IN NORTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA ... EASTERN PENDLETON AND WESTERN PENDLETON. * UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING * AFTER A SOAKING RAIN THIS MORNING...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED. WITH THE GROUND ALREADY SATURATED FROM PREVIOUS RAINFALL ... IT WILL NOT TAKE MUCH RAIN TO PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING OF STREAMS AND LOW LYING AREAS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

flash flood watch severe weather Swoope Fire Department tornado watch Virginia Severe weather warnings over most of Virginia

This weather map is from Richmond-based WTVR CBS-6 with a note from meteorologist Zach Daniel that he cannot remember ever seeing a single ...

Monday, Monday

12:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<a href="http://www.archidose.org/wp/">A Weekly Dose of Architecture</a> Updates: This week's dose features the <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2013/06/10/water-treatment-plant/">Water Treatment Plant</a> in Évry, France, by AWP: <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2013/06/10/water-treatment-plant/"><img alt="this week's dose" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Jun13-10.jpg" title="This week's dose" width="640" /></a> The featured past dose is the <a href="http://www.archidose.org/Aug06/081406.html">Concrete and Water Building</a> in Cerro Blanco, Chile by Philippe Blanc C.: <a href="http://www.archidose.org/Aug06/081406.html"><img alt="this week's dose" src="http://www.archidose.org/Aug06/polpaico2.jpg" title="featured past dose" width="640" /></a> This week's book review is <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2013/06/10/instigations/">Instigations: Engaging Architecture, Landscape, and the City</a> edited by Mohsen Mostafavi and Peter Christensen (L): <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2013/06/10/instigations/"><img alt="this week's book review" height="300" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/instigations.jpg" title="This week's book review" /></a> <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2011/01/17/the-liberal-monument/"><img alt="this week's book review" height="300" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/dhooghe.jpg" title="This week's book review" /></a> (R): The featured past book review is <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2011/01/17/the-liberal-monument/">The Liberal Monument: Urban Design and the Late Modern Project</a> by Alexander D'Hooghe. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : American-Architects <a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/pages/50x50">Building of the Week</a>: <a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/projects/project-review-detail/41621_hall_house">Hall House</a> in Duluth, Minnesota, by Salmela Architect: <a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/projects/project-review-detail/41621_hall_house"><img alt="this week's Building of the Week" src="http://c214210.r10.cf3.rackcdn.com/files/projects/41621/images/900:w/HallHouse5.jpg" title="Current Building of the Week on american-architects.com" width="640" /></a>

Monday, Monday

A Weekly Dose of Architecture Updates: This week's dose features the Water Treatment Plant in Évry, France, by AWP: The featured past...

ARE THEY STILL FIGHTING? -- HOW CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES MAKE US WORSE

11:46 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="MsoNormal">A new priest at one of our small town churches goes to a local gathering place. He tells the people he is the new priest at St. Swithens. The locals ask, “Are they still fighting?”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">A layperson at another small town church tells a friend where she worships. The friend says, “I’ve been to several events there. Every time, your church members are gossiping about people here in town. I wouldn’t want them to know much about me.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Most of the church people I know are pretty good folks. Members of faith communities are statistically healthier, happier, and more likely to do civic good where they live. There is plenty of objective evidence that we are doing something right. So here’s what I wonder about:  Why is there also so much unhealthy behavior in congregations: selfishness, power grabbing, cultural insensitivity, undermining, manipulation, stinginess, and a whole list of moral failings? People who have been practicing Christian spirituality their whole long lives, people who love the Lord and receive the sacraments behave in ways no self-respecting garden club would tolerate in its members. Truth be told, it shakes my faith – not in Christ, but in Christianity. The only proof of any religion is that it makes people better. I’m not sure we are doing that as well as we might. People outside our walls are outside our walls because they don’t like what they see going on inside our walls. They are not entirely wrong.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">The Epistles (and the New Testament in general) teach that Christianity is a group project. Our Bible is a guide to how we are to behave toward each other so that we can be the ongoing incarnation, the Body of Christ in the world, the human channels of God’s love and mercy. “They’ll know we are Christians by our love,” the song says. That’s what I don’t always see us doing very well. Again, most church folks do quite well and churches do plenty of good. But the good we do is eclipsed in the eyes of outsiders by all the petty badness – emphasis on petty because we misbehave in big ways over embarrassingly small issues. So what’s up with these good people doing bad things?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">My hypothesis: a big part of the problem is good intentions badly implemented. Meaning well actually gets us in moral trouble. “The path to hell is paved with good intentions.” We start with this right principle: The Church should accept, befriend, and embrace people the rest of the world does not. Some churches understandably don’t do that. But most of us do accept the outcasts. The problem is: what then do we do with them? This is where the trouble starts. To make them feel welcome, we put them in charge – not always formally, but de facto.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Dennis Maynard’s book, When Sheep Attack, is about how small minority groups in congregations can destroy a pastor’s ministry and run him or her right out of town. That isn’t all they do. Vocal minorities do all manner of mischief in faith communities. Maynard characterizes the small minorities as pathological. But the problem isn’t the pathological minorities. It’s that the congregation as a whole defers to them. The least healthy people in a congregation often seek to control it and are able to do so precisely because all the nice church folks want to appease them. Love means doing whatever it takes to make the crazy folks happy. The result: a nutocracy. Maynard prescribes pretty aggressive responses, a sort of surgical removal of the malignant cells. I don’t’ think that is either right or effective. But his analysis of church dynamics is on the mark.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">The implicit cultural norm of churches is to not only tolerate but to appease unhealthy behavior. Some clergy undertake to police those behaviors, but those clergy don’t usually survive long. The policy of appeasement always wins if the ordained leader is the only person trying to change the system. The worst part of it is that by cow towing to bad behavior in our midst, we encourage our weakest members to act worse. And people who might behave well in the rest of life learn that church is the place they can act out their worst selves because church is where they can get away with it. The normative behavior of a congregation does not look like the Kingdom of God and the people do not function together as the Body of Christ.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">So how might we turn this around? The first generation Christians understood their fellowship as a crucible of moral and spiritual transformation, a place where we are changed. My pastoral consultant once said to me, “Programs don’t change people. People change people.” True enough, but how can we organize our relationships in way that allows us to make each other better instead of worse?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">I have three basic suggestions for starters:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">1.    Behavioral Covenants.  A tennis court needs boundary lines. We all need to know where they are. It doesn’t work nearly as well for an authority figure (the pastor for example) to draw the boundary lines. Then the pastor becomes the enforcer and will soon be driven out by a congregation that never owned the boundaries. We need boundary lines drawn by the community itself. A clergy leader can facilitate a process of setting behavioral norms, but cannot be the lawmaker. Gilbert Rendle has written a helpful little book, Behavioral Covenants In Congregations, available from Alban Institute. It is a guide to how a congregation can establish its own healthy boundaries. Of course, people are imperfect. We will hit the ball out of bounds from time to time. Any of us will do that. But the community that has drawn the boundaries will recognize when the ball is out of bounds and can remind the out-of-bounds person of the norms for discourse in the community. Examples: What kind of communications can be done by e-mail? What communications need to be face to face? What is it appropriate to say about someone who is not in the room? What kind of communication is appropriate for confidentiality? Which are unhealthy secrets? Having answers to those questions in advance can make a huge difference. I know of one congregation that went from crippling civil strife to vibrant health and growth thanks to such a behavioral covenant. I know another that weathered a short failed rectorate without falling into blaming each other, again because of a sound behavioral covenant.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">2.    Circles Practice. Attentive listening, intentional speaking, and mindful relationship do not come naturally, especially when we are enculturated to act contentiously. These practices require skill and discipline. We can teach people these skills in church. These are basic skills for virtuous participation in the human community. Christians ought to be good at that; so the Church ought to be in the business of training us. There are a variety of approaches to these practices. I started with Industrial Areas Foundation broad-based community organizing where I learned one-on-one and small group relational meeting skills. I moved from there to Parker Palmer’s Circles of Trust work. The main book is Palmer’s A Hidden Wholeness. Training is offered through the Center For Courage & Renewal. <a href="http://www.couragerenewal.org/">http://www.couragerenewal.org</a>. The clearest, most usual friendly book on how to do such a process may be The Circle Way by Baldwin and Linnea. The World Café is another approach to this kind of respectful discourse. <a href="http://www.theworldcafe.com/">http://www.theworldcafe.com</a>. We can intentionally create safe place situations for honest conversation. We can cultivate healthy, wise habits like speaking from curiosity instead of judgment. These are processes we can use to deepen and improve relationships, build character, and strengthen our communities to become what we were meant to be.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">3.    Alternative Models Of Decision-Making. We could combine behavioral covenants and circle practice to change our ways of making decisions. That would profoundly transform the power dynamics in congregational life. Today, most congregations have two decision-making processes – the formal visible one and the informal invisible one. Formal visible decision-making is done in public meetings with Roberts Rules. Motions are made and voted up or down. It is a contest with winners and losers. But we rarely actually make decisions that way. When we do, conflict has become hotter than the system can bear for long. Usually, those formal public meetings just document the decisions that have been made informally. The informal invisible process is consensus achieved by finding the lowest common denominator. The person in the room who is hardest to pacify wins by getting his or her way. A third option is to pull the informal process into public view and talk things through in a healthy way using a circles practice like World Cafe. We can find an authentic consensus of those operating inside the boundaries.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">These are just three starter suggestions for how a church might shift its culture. We can become the kind of community that people want to join because we are a safe place to be ourselves and explore new truths, a place that challenges us to change without coercing us with guilt. We can become clearer channels for grace. But it won’t happen without an intentional decision to undertake a process of deep change in how we go about being Church.<o:p></o:p></div>

ARE THEY STILL FIGHTING? -- HOW CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES MAKE US WORSE

A new priest at one of our small town churches goes to a local gathering place. He tells the people he is the new priest at St....