Saturday, December 27, 2008

Chaguaramas "On and Off the Radar"


The southernmost island in the Caribbean, Trinidad (Spanish for Trinity, as in Holy) is the larger, more populous landform comprising the country of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad lies 7 miles from Venezuela's northeastern coast.


Chaguaramas, a 14,572 acre area in the north west corner of Trinidad, includes a peninsula and five offshore islands. M.E. highlighted this curious SSN sighting in Chaguaramas in 2007.

Today, the area is prized by yachtsman’s, divers, fishermen , sunbathers and golfers. Sailing yachts moor at local marinas to avoid the Caribbean hurricane season.

As of 18 December 2008, The CIA Factbook includes juicy tidbits in Trinidad and Tobago's descriptions:

The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime. ... Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses and has one of the highest growth rates and per capita incomes in Latin America. Recent growth has been fueled by investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, and steel. ... [It is a] transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis. ... Muslim 5.8%

Recently, some undisclosed 'feelers' centered on Chaguaramas prompted cursory investigation by M.E. The situation, largely unreported by our MSM, seems interesting. Here is some of what we found:


Muslims comprise 65,318 of the country's overall population. The majority live in Trinidad.


December 26 2008 - NEW YEAR'S PARTIES scaled down -
... many hotels have opted out of hosting celebrations altogether or have scaled down their New Year’s eve parties with simpler menus and less of the gala partying.


This country’s first floatel, the Ocean Pearl, at Pier 2, Chaguaramas, will ... host dinner and dance.
...Carefree party goers who are intent on not letting the economic down turn hamper their New Year’s eve celebrations can ring in their New Year at the Hayatt Regency at a [package] cost of $1800 per person... $2400, [or]... $3700 couples.
...The Treasure Queen at Pier I in Chaguaramas will host an Old Year’s Night Retro All Inclusive party at a cost of $250...

November 15, 2004 - Radical Islam and LNG in Trinidad and Tobago - ... very little attention is placed on the U.S. underbelly of the Caribbean and the softer targets in the region closest to America's back yard: Trinidad, Venezuela and the Bahamas.

The home of tourism, steel band, calypso and carnival is unfortunately also the home of one of the first attempts at violently establishing a modern Islamic extremist state in the region after the attempted Islamic coup in July 1990. 15% of the island's population is Muslim. The group responsible, Jama'at al Muslimeen under the control of Imam Yasin Abu Bakr, is alive and thriving in Trinidad.

Other groups active on the island are Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) and the Jamaat al Murabiteen. The Waajihatul Islaamiyyah group openly supports Osama Bin Laden, al Qaeda and Jemmah Islamiyyah, the organization behind the Bali beachfront bombing that killed close to 200 people. It has issued statements that it intends to set up an Islamic state and described itself as a revolutionary ideological movement. Their press releases include the following statements: "With our weapons we are going reach you.


... and suspicion turned to the Darul Uloom in Cunupia, Trinidad a 45-minute drive from Trinidad's capital, Port-of-Spain. The two schools shared the same name and the connections between El'Shukri-Jumah and the arrested al Qaeda operative led investigators to examine the likelihood them being part of a network for training and financing terrorists. Investigations into the connections were inconclusive.

While M.E. does not expect a radical Islamist strike on a Trinidad New Year's Eve event, it would certainly not be a surprise.


If our SEALS and subs are in the vicinity, suicidal would well describe the perpetrators of any bombings. Now, if we can somehow get confessed rich kid, terrorist Dr. William Charles Ayers to celebrate his New Years at one of the above, perhaps it could finally be a HAPPY NEW YEAR for relatives of slain policemen.


Submarines are always silent and strange.

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Wednesday, December 24, 2008

The Most Fortunate Russian Submarine


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Monday, December 22, 2008

One Does Not Belong


December 20, 2008 - New York Times editorial:


Here is what we think can be cut back or canceled in order to pay for new equipment and other reforms that are truly essential to keep this country safe:

End production of the Air Force’s F-22.

Cancel the DDG-1000 Zumwalt class destroyer.

Halt production of the Virginia class sub.

Pull the plug on the Marine Corps’s V-22 Osprey.

Halt premature deployment of missile defense.

Negotiate deep cuts in nuclear weapons.

Trim the active-duty Navy and Air Force.


Increase the size of the ground force.

Pay for the Navy’s needed littoral combat ships.

Resupply the National Guard and the Reserves.


To answer the question, Which of the NYT's defense cuts does not belong on the list above?, consider that the last three are not cuts at all, are they? Our analysis is reduced to just 7 possibilities. Of the 7, all but two had been mentioned during the election cycle as Obama campaign ideas. Trimming the Navy and Air Force was implied by Increasing the size of the ground forces, also an Obama campaign proposal:

As a co-chair on Barack Obama's presidential campaign, the General agrees that the rookie senator from Illinois believes in a strong military, and with it, a larger Army and Marine Corps. [from here]
The unmentioned (other than perhaps by Barney Frank) cut, then, is obviously halting production of Virginia class subs.


The editorial logic used to support cutting Virginia class (SSN-774) subs is flawed, as our friend Bubblehead explained here.


To review, the NYT editorial proposes cutting military spending in much the manner Obama had already proposed. What purpose does this editorial really serve?


Will spending on our most advanced weapons and intelligence gathering systems (VA class subs) be curtailed? If at all, only from 2 per year back to one. Why? Because the subs are made in states with strong Democratic congressional support.


What, then, is the real impact of the editorial? For Navy admirals it is notice that the stakes are being raised in a traditionally off-limits topic: assignment of females to subs.


For the similarly impacted Air Force the higher stakes involve who, besides pilots, will direct unmanned, remotely controlled aircraft.


In Eisenhower's day the "Military- industrial complex" loomed as the pinnacle of unbridled power. Today, the mantle has shifted to the larger, Legal-politico establishment (lobbyists, trial lawyers, congress, and courts). In this existing complex, only one element is actually elected, and too often those sent to Washington are still lawyers. Where then is effective separation of powers?


M.E. has written often about the likelihood of submarine build rate cuts and the undesirabilities of: female assignment to U.S. nuclear submarines; and, the Legal-politico establishment. Recently, we also uncovered a little-known 1997 NASA study delineating the need for:


Research on gender with respect to behavior and performance on space missions needs to be assessed with respect to space crews, ground crews, families.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

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Thursday, December 18, 2008

SECNAV Controversy - Not Much - Caruso


Two of the potential candidates mentioned for nomination to United States Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) by Obama are lawyers. Of the last ten SECNAVs (includes a few acting SECNAVs), only 20% have actually been lawyers. Another was a female with NCIS experience (she attended Tufts School of Law).


Some even want an openly gay choice for the position, but Mr. Williams's work history will preclude such a morale busting travesty with little merit beyond political currency.


Three of the past ten SECNAVs served in nuclear submarines, one of them as commanding officer. Another SECNAV would later become NASA's administrator Sean O'Keefe.
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As we learned recently, the Behavior and Performance Working Group for a 1997 NASA study identified gender as a potentially limiting issue in selection of NASA space crews and even ground crews. Curiously, a member of the Behavior and Performance Working Group was Dr. Christine L. Schlichting of the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, Groton.


Submarines are always silent and strange. Rarely, however, relevant information is leaked through the space program.



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Wednesday, December 17, 2008

NASA, the Psychologists, Gender and the Goldilocks Phenomenon

During research for "Psychological Officers" - Submarine - Part 1-3, we uncovered two, recommendations for NASA that may influence our culture overall.

But first, if you are not familiar with the Goldilocks Phenomenon here's a 2-minute review you will need to better understand:



The Goldilocks Phenomenon and the Habitable zone (HZ)

The Three Bears story is the origin of the term "Goldilocks" in academic contexts. Generally, the Goldilocks phenomenon describes a situation which is just right, not too big, too hot, too cold, or too small. The phenomenon is discussed in both astronomy and economics contexts. That's right, the Goldilocks phenomenon is a term with which folks having doctorate degrees are likely to be more familiar than pre-schoolers. Example:


The HZ may also be referred to as the "life zone", "Comfort Zone", "Green Belt" or "Goldilocks Zone" (because it's neither too hot nor too cold, but "just right"). In our own solar system, the HZ is thought to extend from a distance of 0.95 to 1.37 astronomical units. Gliese 581 d, the third planet of the red dwarf star Gliese 581 (approximately 20 light years distance from Earth), appears to be the best example which has been found so far of an extrasolar planet which orbits in the theoretical habitable zone of space surrounding its star.

In the Fall of 1995, a subgroup of the Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications Advisory Committee (LMSAAC) was established for a one year period in which to a) assess the status of countermeasures routinely used by NASA to counteract the deleterious physiological changes in humans that occur in response to the microgravity environment involving space flight; and b) determine appropriate recommendations concerning essential research and development activities relevant to enhancing the effectiveness of the countermeasure program.

In May 1997, NASA' s Task Force issued a Final Report on Countermeasures.
APPENDIX F-3 contains the recommendations of the Behavior and Performance Working Group (BPWG), comprised largely of psychologists and psychiatrists.

You can certainly have a ball reading the full report. M.E. expects submariners will be particularly interested in two of the BPWG's eleven General recommendations in Section 6, found on page F-10:

8. Research on gender with respect to behavior and performance on space missions needs to be assessed with respect to space crews, ground crews, families.

M.E. observation: Did NASA follow or discard the 1997 recommendation for space crew gender research? By what the public has heard so far, the recommendation has been dismissed due to political sensitivities. Ever wonder about the slow pace of NASA'a space program? Absence of critical research could certainly be one reason.

10. Assessment of the right amount of training is critical to avoid over or under training.
( Remember Goldilocks and the last bowl of porridge? She said, "Ahhh, this porridge is just right." )

M.E.'s observation: We can assume NASA paid for the study resulting in the Goldilocks recommendation (#10). Does anyone besides M.E. find the recommendation lame?

Submarines are always silent and strange. Rarely, however, relevant information is leaked through the space program.

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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

"Psychological Officers" - Submarine - Part 3



Although better ballasted than astronauts, submariners, too, have their drill sessions. And, as author Sherry Sontag reminds us:


These new missions were so deeply cloaked in secrecy that thousands of men went out - often for months at a time - never telling anyone where they were going, or why. They didn't tell their wives, their children, their parents, their best friends. And for good reason. source




Triton's submerged circumnavigation feat was nearly ruined by unforeseen events. First, Chief Radarman (RDC) John R. Poole began suffering a series of kidney stones. Next, the ship's fathometer malfunctioned so the risks of grounding or collision were elevated. Then, readings on one of the reactors indicated a serious malfunction which required shutdown. True to their reputation for resourcefulness, however, submariners prevailed to overcome each obstacle, including a medical transfer:

As ''Triton'' passed the east coast of South America, Chief Radarman John R. Poole, began suffering from a kidney stone. His symptoms, beginning on 1 March, were interrmittent, so the boat continued south. On 3 March, ''Triton'' raised the Falkland Islands on radar and prepared to conduct photoreconnaissance of Port Stanley, but before they could sight the islands, Poole's condition worsened so that Captain Beach ordered their course reversed and send a radio message describing the situation. ''Triton'' rendezvoused with the heavy cruiser USS Macon (CA-132) off Montevideo and transferred Poole.
Some spaceflight medical requirements can be extrapolated from the Evidence Base of Extended-Duration Submarine Missions.

Medical events during submarine missions are instructive as they occur in a confined, remote environment where there is limited diagnostic and therapeutic support. They occur in an atmosphere where potentially life-threatening or other severe medical illnesses can end a mission, in the sense that the submarine is required to interrupt or even abort its mission.

Spaceflight is extremely risky. Humans in deep space would have neither a capability for real-time communication with Earth nor a timely return. The critical health issues for long-duration missions are severe: radiation; loss of bone mineral density; and behavioral adaptation. Given current science and technology a mission to Mars would effectively be a one-way trip for a healthy astronaut.

The wisdom of females in space is still a very open question. Astronauts have volunteered to be human experiments in ways that are decidedly not for the fainthearted.

What has been learned about the effects of microgravity on the human body comes mostly from missions into space. The loss of bone mineral density and deep space radiation exposure alone are daunting.

Recommended Reading: SAFE PASSAGE Astronaut Care for Exploration Missions John R. Ball and Charles H. Evans, Jr., Editors NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS Washington, DC

It contains dozens of interesting submarine references.

Predicting behavioral interactions of team members is complicated with mixed genders on long duration spaceflights. Psychotic episodes on the ISS have been reported and occur at an expected rate of over 50% per astronaut per year, as it is.

Next, psychologists and Goldilocks.































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Monday, December 15, 2008

"Psychological Officers" - Submarine - Part 2

In our prior posting, we asked if psychologists have ever been associated with submarines.


Actually, one instance is well documented:


Benjamin B. Weybrew, PhD — Psychologist from the U.S Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory was one of the technical and scientific riders aboard USS Triton (SSN-586) during her historic shakedown cruise, which would be the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe (code name: Operation Sandblast). The sub departed New London on 16 February 1960, returning after 84 days and 41,500 nautical miles, on 10 May.




Operation Sandblast's missions included determining habitability, endurance and psychological stress of tremendous importance to the U.S. Polaris program and the infant space program. Obviously, many other subs, including Seawolf (SSN-575) had performed earlier endurance and stress missions with scientific riders. Were any of them psychiatrists or psychologists? As rumor has it, yes.
Because of the nature of the duties and responsibilities of each person in a submarine, the psychological fitness of applicants for submarine training must be carefully appraised. The objective is to elicit evidence of tendencies which might prevent satisfactory adjustment to submarine life. Among these are below average intelligence, claustrophobic tendencies, lack of motivation, unhealthy motivation, history of personal ineffectiveness, difficulties in interpersonal relations, lack of adaptability, or personality disorders. source

Triton's CO during the circumnavigation was none other than Capt. Edward Lattimer Beach, Jr. Capt. Beach wrote the Foreword for The ABC's of Stress: A Submarine Psychologist's Perspective by Benjamin B. Weybrew; Praeger Publishers, 1992. Beach said:
Once under way, with a crew that had not yet been informed what they wereabout, everything was totally different. Now the problem was to keep the crewon their toes, maintain a high level of activity, avoid boredom, and keep thingson a high plane of motivation. ...Despite some media "hype,"we are not all that different from normal average people, but we do have awonderful instrument that few truly appreciate, and we do know how to use it. source
The contrast between the characterizations of submariners is one only a psychiatrist might fully appreciate.
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Getting back to the 'Psychological Officers' - mystery dolphins, remember these were first seen in the 1970s, well after the Seawolf and Triton endurance tests. Notice which badge contains the acorn (oak nut):


The 1970s produced many secretive submarine initiatives, especially in the boomer fleet, but no headlines like the circumnavigation. Moreover, by 1970, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had landed on the moon with Michael Collins orbiting above during the Apollo 11 mission.

More on submariners, psychologists, psyciatrists and space travelers next time.












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Friday, December 12, 2008

"Psychological Officers" - Submarine



Above, 'US Psychological Officer 1970's Prototype Badge -
Never used but someone proposed this because they paid for a tool back in the 1970's. source Also, see Recent Submarine Insignia News and Information, May 2004 Update, here.
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As silent and strange as submarines are, all sorts of possibilities come to mind in connection with the unusual dolphins above.
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Omitting many, more interesting possibilities, the item may have been conceived by some insignia collector for a purely profit or bragging rights motive.
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Alternatively, we must ask ourselves if psychologists have ever been associated with submarines. Do you have any stories to share?
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More on this topic later.

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FBI + Gov. Blagojevich Plea Bargain - Bodyguards = High Profile Convictions + Dead Meat

Here is what the original entry said:
Headline of the Future #002: [Dec. 27, 2008 to Jan. 3, 2009] Illinois Gov. Blagojevich Dead --- Suicide Possible [changed by one day to estimated publication dates]
INSPIRATION >> Blagojevich's Tangled Web: A Who's Who of Illinois Politics


Here is an explanatory interim Headline of the Future that helps explain the one above:

Gov. Blagojevich will not resign because he needs the security detail for protection from politicians he will testify against in his plea bargain.
INSPIRATION >> Blagojevich Considering Resignation: Sources

Is he really? Remember the Dead Meat principle.
dead meat, noun - one that is doomed; as in, he's dead meat if they catch him

More about the governor's bodygyards:

December 3, 2004 - Blagojevich decreases protection measures
The reports also said the governor had 12 bodyguards, costing nearly $23,000 in hotel bills, in Boston during the Democratic National Convention, and 10 bodyguards during a later trip to California. Blagojevich reduced the size of his security detail by 25 percent, which he said makes it comparable to units in states of similar size. His office has declined to say how many people are on the detail, citing security concerns. ... The order requires the security detail to undergo training by the U.S. Secret Service. It also requires the director of the Illinois State Police to issue a code of conduct within 90 days that addresses job behavior and professionalism.

January 31, 2006 - Illinois governor commits truth: What now?
And he's managed to find some new and innovative ways to employ his armed state police bodyguards. Rod has used them to carry his family's luggage, to hand out Halloween candy and even to maintain custody of that holiest of holies, Rod's hairbrush

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Thursday, December 11, 2008

Early Breaking News of the Future

Juan Caruso begins a weekly feature, Headlines of the Future


First, the Serious ...

Headline #001: [July 4, 2009] Bailout Favoritism Turns Into Game of 'Musical Chairs' Rioting
INSPIRATION >> GOP Senator Warns of 'Riots' if Automakers Are Bailed Out


Headline #002: [Dec. 26, 2008 to Jan. 2, 2009] Illinois Gov. Blagojevich Dead --- Suicide Possible
INSPIRATION >> Blagojevich's Tangled Web: A Who's Who of Illinois Politics


And then, the Offbeat ...


Headline #003: [circa 2016] Navy Inaugurates All Female Precision Drill Team
INSPIRATION >> Dronemaker to Brew Algae-Based Jet Fuel


Headline #004: [Feb. 2009] Actor Who Played 'Mork' is Real Alien at least 120 Years of Age - Earlier Role Revealed

INSPIRATION: First there was Harris's role (as Farnsworth) in an early episode of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-66), then as a much younger character in Mork & Mindy (1978-82).

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On Schedule? You Decide

October 15, 2007 - Prediction:


In the next 20 -30 years, the name Gore will come to be associated with junk science the way Ponzi is associated with a particular confidence scheme. Al Gore will escape his inevitable legacy only if something far more ominous shows up in the timeline. Juan Caruso D. (aka Juan Caruso al-Humacao)





Is Juan's prediction on schedule? In Vigilis's opinion, no. It will not even take 10 more years until Al Gore and his pseudo-science chorus become known as the fear-mongering, lunatic fraudsters of the century. How can we say that? The UN global warming conference underway in Poland faces serious challenges from over 650 dissenting scientists from around the globe. The number of qualified skeptics is also growing. See for yourself:





Many [scientists] are now searching for a way to back out quietly (from promoting warming fears), without having their professional careers ruined.” - Atmospheric physicist James A. Peden, formerly of the Space Research and Coordination Center in Pittsburgh.





Warming fears are the “worst scientific scandal in the history…When people come to know what the truth is, they will feel deceived by science and scientists.” - UN IPCC Japanese Scientist Dr. Kiminori Itoh, an award-winning PhD environmental physical chemist.





It is a blatant lie put forth in the media that makes it seem there is only a fringe of scientists who don’t buy into anthropogenic global warming.” - U.S Government Atmospheric Scientist Stanley B. Goldenberg of the Hurricane Research Division of NOAA.





Seems those rising temperature charts have a glaring defect-


... when the Soviet Union fell in 1990 the number of reporting weather stations went form a high of 15,000 in 1970 to 5,000 in 2000. This takes some of the coldest places on the planet out of the equation like Siberia.





"For how many years must the planet cool before we begin to understand that the planet is not warming? For how many years must cooling go on?" - Geologist Dr. David Gee the chairman of the science committee of the 2008 International Geological Congress who has authored 130 plus peer reviewed papers, and is currently at Uppsala University in Sweden





Since I am no longer affiliated with any organization nor receiving any funding, I can speak quite frankly….As a scientist I remain skeptical.” - Atmospheric Scientist Dr. Joanne Simpson, the first woman in the world to receive a PhD in meteorology and formerly of NASA who has authored more than 190 studies and has been called “among the most preeminent scientists of the last 100 years.”





Even doubling or tripling the amount of carbon dioxide will virtually have little impact, as water vapour and water condensed on particles as clouds dominate the worldwide scene and always will.” – . Geoffrey G. Duffy, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering of the University of Auckland, NZ.

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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Update: "THE RED SUBMARINE"


A novelette is a short piece of fictional prose. Distinctions between novelettes and other literary forms relate mainly to word count.


Typical word counts:

Novel 80,000+
Novella 17,500 to 80,000
Novelette 7,500 to 17,500 < ---------
Short story 1,000 to 7,500
Flash fiction under 1,000


Remember this intriguing submarine bit? The novelette has not been published for public distribution. The film, THE RED SUBMARINE is in the planning stage and is looking for financing.


Almost a year later, we find:

When published after a few months, " THE MINI- SUBMARINE " will be available at 200 internet bookshops, and through 25.000 bookstores, globally, as well as directly from the publisher : ...xlibris.com. ... Film Director Eduardo Coronado is interested in making this film, but no agreements have been made yet, due to lack of finances.

Do not be lulled into a false conclusion that only the title and promised public availability date of Askin Ozcan's elusive novelette have changed. We now have more plot teasers, too.

The main questions are: (1) if anxious readers already have more hints than will eventually be revealed on the book jacket; and, (2) if unknowns will be cast as the main characters when the related film is made.

As we eagerly anticipate both the novelette for film, and the film, we hope the answers will be NO and YES, respectively.

Submarines are always silent and strange.


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Monday, December 08, 2008

Retained Silent Service

Mysteries abound in the life of this Eagle Scout, who gave much but took little more from the silent service than the lifelong habit of keeping his comings and goings a secret.

John Yoshikawa Kuapahi, perhaps the first Asian-American assigned a nuclear power billet aboard a submarine, had been awarded a U.S. Navy commendation for averting a “major disaster” when an oxygen fire erupted on USS Sargo June 14, 1960. As seen in his 2005 letter passage above, Kuapahi sought a very private life, wanting to reveal almost nothing about himself to his daily acquaintances.

He played a key role in saving that submarine, said the sub’s former commander, John H. “Nick” Nicholson, an 84-year-old retired vice admiral who lives in La Jolla, Calif.

Ironically, the intellectual recluse, who was fatally overcome by smoke last month in his book-and-cardboard-stuffed rental garage in Hillyard, was an American hero few knew. source




ET1 Kuapahi, had performed selflessly during the onboard submarine tragedy and later in his civilian life performing volunteer work. As a youth he even achieved Eagle Scout in Troop 56 of the Honolulu Council.
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The seventy-six year-old died content with 71 cents in his pocket. He left the navy in 1961, the year after Sargo's tragic oxygen fire.
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Vigilis wishes he had been among the fortunate who made John Yoshikawa Kuapahi's acquaintance.
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By the way, visitors to Sargo's website will probably be as impressed as M.E. by the content and detail. Have never seen better! You should at least check the hairy method used to ultimately extinguish the sternroom fire. No wonder Yoshikawa and others earned their commendations.
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Submarines are always silent and strange.





























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ANSWERS: Submarine Questions of the Week



The king from a country without a navy embarked in a nuclear submarine.



Yesterday's Questions of the week:



1- What was the submarine's name? Ans.: USS Sargo (SSN-583)





2- What was the name of this king with no navy? Ans.: King Mahendra of Nepal





3- The former king's country (it is no longer a kingdom, by the way) still does not have a navy. Why so? Ans.: Nepal is a landlocked country bordered by the People's Republic of China and India. Eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest, lie within its borders, and its lowest point (Kanchan Kalan) is 230 feet above sea level.



Submarines are always silent and strange.

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Sunday, December 07, 2008

Submarine Questions of the Week


Public policy organization GlobalSecurity.org, whose mission is providing reliable background information and developing news in the arenas of defense, space, intelligence, WMD, and homeland security, tells us:


It is said England's King James I rode in one of Van Drebbel's submarines to prove its safety. The British navy was not interested in the craft.
King James I's alleged submarine ride would have been back in the 17th century. This week's question (to be answered Tuesday) concerns a more recent king, not this foreign president. The king of interest this time was from a country without a navy, and embarked in a nuclear submarine. He certainly would not have been the last king, president or VIP to visit a submarine since, of course.


Questions of the week:


1- What was the submarine's name?


2- What was the name of this king with no navy?


3- The former king's country (it is no longer a kingdom, by the way) still does not have a navy. Why so?


Submarines are always silent and strange.


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Friday, December 05, 2008

Exposing a Subliminal War Zone

Unless you consider yourself nuanced, that is, having sensibilities to and awareness of delicate shadings of meaning, feeling, or value, you may wish to read no further.

Definition from Merriam-Webster Online:
sub·lim·i·nal - existing or functioning below the threshold of consciousness


How could anyone forget the irrational protests from February 2006 - CBS/AP)


Outrage over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad escalated in the Arab and Islamic world Thursday, with Palestinian gunmen briefly kidnapping a German citizen and protesters in Pakistan chanting "death to France" and "death to Denmark." ... The cartoons were first published in September in a Danish
newspaper, touching off anger among Muslims who knew about it. The issue reignited last week after Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Denmark.

Highly sensitized journalists certainly do not forget; yet, some are nuanced enough to use language just short of inflammatory. Just happenstance you say? More likely, these are intentionally coded messages (fingers in the eye) to a subversive, Islamic organization residing in the United States under the guise of legitimacy.


Consider the wording used in two articles, published in the mainstream print media, illustrated below. Beyond the 'pork' imagery, the respective publication dates also merit some serious attention. The term hamstrung referring to Osama bin Laden was used by the Washington Times on December 5, 2006. The phrase pan-Islamic grievances used exactly two year later by the New York Times on December 4, 2008, referred to motivational information provided to the Mumbai terrorists by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed. Saeed is a Lashkar leader identified by the surviving Mumbai attacker.


If anyone was intentionally agitated by these journalists it cannot be the poor street Muslims who do not read English language news. We can be fairly certain, however, that the seditious intellectuals at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) are put off by the language, and its implications.


As a slightly less boisterous, protesting and litgious CAIR now realizes, infidels finally "get it". Some of us have seen through their false veil of respect for the U.S. Constitution for some time now. But now, even some in our press no longer appear sympathetic to them.
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The publication coincidences go beyond pork imagery and the striking dates. Both publications have the word Times in their names. All of this tends to make message coding unmistakable.
While we may still harbor our doubts about coded messages (where is the 2007 article?), certain rogues will no longer have that luxury.
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Congratulations for getting this far; you may consider yourself nuanced!



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Thursday, December 04, 2008

Roughead's Revenge Device - Caruso




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Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Rethinking a Design 'Tell'

Last May we naively posted Submarine Design and the Strategic 'Global Warming' Chicken Game .

We based our premise largely on this:
In summary, melting of sea ice in the Arctic will turn into a conventional open-ocean ASW environment, with none of the advantages it now affords to an adversary strategic submarine. - Naval Operations in an Ice-free Arctic Symposium, 2001 source

There may be global warming cinch or fallacy clues relating to submarine arctic ops, but placement of control planes will definitely not be reliable. Photos of open arctic water or thicker ice will obviously trump everything else.

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Monday, December 01, 2008


Questions of the Week:


Who said this?
I would write love poems to Rosalynn and write poems just about things that went on on the submarine.


Answer: Jimmy Carter (President of the United States, 1977-1981), poet, novelist, and former submariner. Jimmy Carter, Life on a Killer Submarine from his book Always A Reckoning


What was the name of the submarine?


Answer: USS Pomfret (SS-391) [29 DEC 1948 - 1 FEB 1951 ] ; USS K-1 (SSK 1) [1951 - 16 OCT 1952].




The center photo was different and, therefore, was the hint.
An anonymous reviewer wrote this excerpt about the Carter book shown:
Other poems in ALWAYS A RECKONING are laugh-out-loud funny, such as, Progress Does Not Always Come Easy, which describes the trials and tribulations Jimmy Carter underwent when he successfully passed his first legislation (ensuring that deceased citizens lose their voting rights), which turned out to be quite unpopular in every precinct with a cemetery! ALWAYS A RECKONING is a rare gem of a book that gives readers a sense of the inner beauty of Jimmy Carter's heart and soul.

note:
The subject for the other photos was Leonard Cohen's muse, Suzanne Verdal, inspiration for the Canadian poet and Hall of Fame singer-songwriter's world famous song, Suzanne. Judy Collins was the first to have a hit with Suzanne in English. But it soon went around the world. Pauline Julien sang it in French. A pre-Abba Frida sang it in Swedish. There's even a Polish version. In fact, the song has been covered hundreds of times, although it's impossible to ignore the original. Even Leonard Cohen himself can't hide his pride. 'It's a good song; seems to have lasted. To place a song into the air and have it last 20 years, it's a wonderful feeling,' he says.
Submarines are always silent and strange.

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Submarine Mystery Questions


Questions of the Week:


Who said this?
I would write love poems to _____ and write poems just about things that went on on the submarine.
What was the name of the submarine?


Since a hint has been provided for this oolie, reader comments are not permitted.


Answer: Tuesday


Submarines are always silent and strange.






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