A Very Bad day leak for climate crisis advocates - Brief news story reveals sobering truth

From the UticaOD.ComObserver - May 30, 2009 - [Month of] May to go out under a freeze watch

The National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch for many parts of New York from Sunday through Monday morning, including Oneida County.Widespread frost and freeze conditions are possible tonight and into early Monday morning.
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Molten Eagle found this incredible. Are even we falling victim to climate propaganda? Certainly not. We did the intelligent thing and checked the facts. Sure enough, at this writing the overnight low temperature in Utica, NY is forecast to be 36 degrees F. That is not a wind chill, nor a real feel,it is the forecasted low.
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Remarkably, 36 degrees equals the record low temperature for May 31st, according to WKTV meteorologists and weather archives. The record was set in 1966.
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This is the leak, folks: Why was the record cold temperature for May 31st in Utica set as recently as 1966? Because reliable temperature records have only been kept for around the last 100 years or so. Utica's record low for June 1 is 31 degrees, set in 1945, according to weather archives.
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Had records been available for a meterorological meaningful amount of time, say 650,000 years, or so, cyclical climate patterns would be evident even for those of you who slept through your science classes. The chart shown here goes back about 700,000 years.
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Similar climate cycles are also evident in the geological record of the Earth for millions of years. The multi-variate factors involved in planetary climate are not well-understood by man. In fact, no one will even claim to recite most of them. Yet, some things are well-known and cannot be refuted by a single, credible scientist anywhere on Earth.
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Even in New Zealand, scientists know this:
“The energy that reaches earth from sunlight in one hour is more than that used by all human activities in one year”. - Prof. Ashton Partridge, Massey University

Mystery Questions of the Weekend - May 30, 2009

Submarine vets occasionally wonder what has become of a former shipmate. Reunions usually provide the answers, especially for enlisted. Even junior officers, however, might be found eventually given today's powerful internet tools.

Today's Mystery Question is the inverse of whatever became of a certain fellow; it is along the lines of which one became this.

Mystery Questions of the Weekend:
Notes:
Because there could be more than one correct answer, our questions ARE NOT LIMITED TO ANY PARTICULAR SUBMARINE. Answers will not be considered correct unless linked to online documentation.

1 - Which former nuclear submarine junior officer later reported science news for a morning paper and discoveries in medicine for an NBC affiliate among other things?
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2 - What occupies this fellow currently?
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Answers Monday
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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Seating Sonia Sotomayor Could Break the Supreme Court Paradigm

Seating Judge Sonia Sotomayor on the Supreme Court could well be required for a feat not anticipated in our lifetimes, although certainly provided by the framers of our constitution, — seating non-lawyers on that court. How? more

Police Watching One Suspect Carefully

Police Monitor Alleged Eagle Egg Poacher in Iceland (from Iceland Review_Online, May 2009)
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At Molten Eagle, this came to mind first, then we rembered we had actuallt attributed poaching to a certain foreign celebrity who had been in Iceland within the past year, here Update: Poached Puffins.

Police have not released the foreignor's identity:

An individual of foreign origin, who has been spotted under dubious circumstances in the vicinity of a sea eagle nest in Borgarfjördur, west Iceland, is suspected of being an egg poacher and is being searched for by the police. The sea eagle is an endangered species.

After talking to the suspect, the bird watcher informed the police of his whereabouts. By the time police arrived at the scene, the man was gone, although he has not left the country.


The local population of sea eagle breeding pairs is considered endangered and estimated at 35-40 only.


We can safely rule out this guy, can't we?

Of course, we should!

Here's a combat tactic most of us never get to witness - Sea Eagle vs. Sea Eagle (time 1:15 of total time 2 minutes):


Mid Air Eagle battle...
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At least Chef Ramsay is no submariner.
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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Big Brother Rules the Space Shuttle, Too

Perhaps we can understand the reason for communications hygiene on the ISS and space shuttles:

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Aug. 26, 2008 - ABC News.com - Virus Infects Space Station Laptops (Again) - Viruses intended to steal passwords and send them to a remote server infected laptops in the Space Station in July, NASA confirmed Tuesday.

The International Space Station has no direct internet access, but astronauts can send and receive mail though a KU band data link also used for data and video transfer, according to Humphries. That means the space station laptops are not connected to the net, according to Humphries. "Everything is scanned before it goes up, so it's an indirect connection," Humphries said.

3 days ago - HOUSTON (AP) — Fixing Hubble: No sweat; Watching a movie: No way -With an unwanted off day Friday because thunderstorms prevented their scheduled landing, the astronauts intended to pass the time by watching movies they brought on the mission. But when they tried to play them, they found out that their laptops didn't have the proper software. ... After more than an hour with no solution, the astronauts gave up.

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But what about the reference to Big Brother? This photo and text below should explain Big Brother's restrictions:

In reality, Mike Massimino (Ph.D) e-mails his Twitter updates to Houston where a NASA employee posts them to his Twitter profile. Ordinary Twitter users can post via e-mail, but have to reveal passwords to a third party. NASA prohibits astronauts from directly accessing the Internet.

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If astronauts had a Blackberry like President Obama's, however ... well, lets just say it is a good thing they and most submariners don't!

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Lasting Submarine Tributes

Above left: Kittery, Maine (April 15, 2007) -- Irene Harvey, wife of Capt. John Harvey who commanded the USS Thresher (SSN-593) as it sank in 1963, stands by a wreath she will lay into the Piscataqua River during memorial services Saturday for the 44th anniversary of the submarine sinking of the USS Thresher. John Cook, a former crew member, had left the Thresher three months before the accident to attend nuclear power school. "There's no closure for the families, no grave to visit," said Cook. "This is the closest thing you're going to get to that."

Above right: La Perouse Strait, off the coast of Northern Japan (July 8, 2007)--Rear Adm. Douglas McAneny, Commander, Submarine Group 7, lays a wreath into the Pacific Ocean in remembrance of the crewmembers of USS Wahoo (SS 238) onboard USS Frank Cable (AS 40).

To fully appreciate the number of U.S. submariners making the ultimate sacrifice, go here to find their names. To appreciate the volume of their sacrifice, select one submarine and see how long it takes just to count the names of crew on eternal patrol (one example: 84 names).

If you would like to help memorialize any individuals on eternal patrol, perhaps you can provide a missing photo or needed information to a great site via e-mail to: info@OnEternalPatrol.com .

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Lost submariners, in particular, are usually out of sight, but we should never allow them to become out of mind.

Curious Submarine Notes

The following curiosities are occasioned by today's 70th anniversary of the
well-documented USS Squalus (SS-192) tragedy, which killed 26 in 1939. During post-commissioning sea trials a fouled main induction valve caused the Squalus to sink to a shallow ocean bottom of 40 fathoms.

* The tragedy was apparently exploited for profit by a civilian worker at the Portsmouth, NH Navy Yard where the recovered sub was being inspected and repaired.

* Squalus's CO, 35-year-old Lt. Oliver F. Naquin, was among the final 8 men rescued on the FOURTH DESCENT of the McCann Rescue Chamber.

* Several of the Squalus survivors would serve aboard SS-192 again in war patrols. Lt. Naquin, the sub's first CO, would never serve on a submarine again. Submariners will instinctively know the reason.

Naquin who had been born in New Orleans would go on to guide the heavy cruiser New Orleans to an American base for repairs in 1942. He was awarded the Bronze Star for this after the cruiser was struck by a Japanese torpedo, blowing off 120 feet of the bow. Naquin fared better in the Navy than this Captain who would later commanded the battleship Louisiana.

* Oddly, the decommissioned Squalus was recommissioned as USS Sailfish and went on to survive 12 war patrols during the Second World War. Of Squalus-Sailfish's 9 sister submarines (Sargo class), 3 would be sunk and 1 heavily damaged in Pacific war patrols. Of these casualties, USS Swordfish (SS-193) was sunk on her 13th war patrol, and USS Seawolf (SS-197) was sunk in error (all hands lost) on her 15th war patrol by USS Rowell.

We hope readers have found the selected tidbits above interesting. They were collected while researching whether or not submariners are a superstitious lot. We have always been of a firm belief that submariners are, by necessity, control freaks (during his presidency ex-submariner Jimmy Carter was often accused of being a micromanager). People who focus extensively on important details while chaos occurs around them are hardly superstitious folk.

As we find after the first two Seawolf boats (SS-28 and SS-197) were lost, two more subs were later named Seawolf. Hmmm!

And while Squalus was oddly recommissioned as Sailfish, the hull's history could not deter survivors serving war patrols in her belly. Capt. Naquin, too, would later have the battleship California, sunk beneath his feet sunk in Japan's 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Opinions vary slighlty, however, but we interpret this submariner's opinion with the humor it obviously exudes:

ETC(SS) said...
Maybe its just me but I don't think I would want to sail on her. Call it a sailors superstition but sailing on SF would give me the willies. Then again, what do I know...I sailed on SSN 666 and felt safe as could be... 4/09/2009 7:32 PM

Need more? Try here, or here.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

ANSWERS: Submarine Mystery Questions of the Week - 18 May 2009

Background: Basic context for understanding the difficult questions and answers is here.
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Mystery Questions and Answers for the Week:
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1 - What year was the Captain's article published?
The article Rank of the United States Among the Naval Powers was published in December, 1911.
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2 - What was the Captain's name?
The author was Capt. T.M. Potts, U.S.N.
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3 - Would the French be the first naval power to develop a sub capable of accompanying their fleet?
No; while France was the leader (in 1911) in quantity of submarines, Brittain had 74 by 1914, and claimed the first diesel-powered, offensive patrol boats from 1909 (source). Thanks to future Admiral Nimitz's submarine experiences, the U.S. adopted France's innovative use of Germany's diesel engines (replacing gasoline) with Electric Boat's 'E' class (launched in 1911).

In 1906 the U-1, the first German "U-Boat" (for unterzeeboot), was launched. The U-1 had a surface speed of 11 knots, a submerged speed of 9 knots, and a range of two thousand miles. By 1912, Germany had diesel-powered ssubs (U-31 to U-41) with a maximum range of 7,800 miles.

Was Capt. Potts aware of German submarine capabilities, or was he being guarded in releasing information to the public? We do not know the true answer, but consider his official title:
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4 - Bonus Question: What was the good Captain's title?
Capt. T.M. Potts, U.S.N., was Chief Intelligence Officer of the Navy Department. While Capt. Potts was not a submariner, he was popular with his blujackets on the Battleship USS Louisiana. His crew's intervention did not help, and Capt. Potts was retired in 1913, later serving as Governor of Guam.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Not Even the DoD Can Survive in an Environment of Overwhelming Corruption

Those of you yet to be concerned about degradations of ongoing U.S. defense capabilities - naval and otherwise, may be too aloof or distracted by daily life to care.

You may be joining the rest of us sooner than you thought.

The SEC has had no compliance system in place to monitor the trades of their employees. -Inspector General
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Conflicts of interest in Washington, D.C. abound more than at any time since the Korean conflict.
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Our sister site explains in Environment of Corruption, Yet?
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Wear your best thinking caps and proceed carefully. And, as long as you have your thinking caps on, take your best shot at this week's especially difficult Mystery Qusetions.

Submarine Mystery Questions of the Week - 18 May 2009

Background:

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A Captain, U.S.N., included the following paragraph in his public article on U.S. ranking among world naval powers.

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.................................................... Submarines

....In the present state of naval development, the submarine is essentially a vessel designed as an important part of the mobile defenses of our coasts or outlying possessions. It is understood that the French Government is now designing and building a type of submarine, which it is believed will be able to accompany the fleet even in distant operations, its radius of action and habitability having been developed to the extent which makes such a use of this type of vessel a probable success. Of this type, the submarine, England possesses seventy-four, Germany fourteen, United States twenty-six, France sixty-six, Japan ten, and Russia thirty-one.

Mystery Questions of the Week (comments are allowed):

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1 - What year was the Captain's article published?

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2 - What was the Captain's name?

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3 - Would the French be the first naval power to develop a sub capable of accompanying their fleet?

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4 - Bonus Question: What was the good Captain's title?

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Answers Thursday

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Putin's KGB Charm and the Nerpa

What we said in January: Putin May Use Some Charm to Resolve India's Submarine Order

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And now, May 14, 2009: [Mr. KGB] Putin steps in, n-submarine for India by year-end

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Yes, it is the same submarine, the ill-fated Nerpa. Yes, Putin, the current Prime Minister of Russia, chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus, obtained his 'charm' during his tenure at the KGB.

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No, healthy Russian sailors no longer Refuse To Board Cursed Boat.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Submarines from the depths (of overlooked history)

What was it about the 1860s Hunley? How did a few, determined Southern partisans manage to build the first submarine to win a naval battle with the U.S. fleet during the Civil War?

Where did they get their ideas? Perhaps from earlier concepts like the Brandtaucher ('incendiary diver'):

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But the concept of one wealthy planter, if this story from Simon Lake is to be believed, was not as courageous as the Hunley's crews (subsequently lost) or submariners of today. The story is about another Hunley predecessor, the pumkinseed-shaped New Orleans submarine, photos of which can be found at NavSource archives.

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According to the story Lake got from a friend, which can be read here, the slaveowning planter arranged for two of his most intelligent slaves to demonstrate the vessel's diving capability for spectators at the launching. The vessel disappeared as planned, but never surfaced. The author describes the story as almost certainly a tall tale. Let's hope so.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Answer to Mystery Question for Submariners

From yesterday's Mystery Question for Submariners
The [RAN] navy can barely muster enough hands to put two of its six Collins-class boats to sea. - source

MYSTERY QUESTION:
Exactly how does a navy that cannot currently crew its fleet of 6 Collins class subs propose to crew twice as many new subs?

ANSWER:
By providing targeted incentives for submariners that include training, adjusting crew numbers and formations, conditions of service, seatime and other initiatives, Defence will ensure that the current shortfalls are addressed, and that a robust submarine workforce is built for the future. (attributed anonymously to the navy by Defence Professionals GmbH)
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If begun now, the RAN submariner incentives program might actually have some chance of success, in our opinion. Good luck, all of our Australian friends!

Mystery Question for Submariners

Background:

UPDATED May 4, 2009: The [RAN] navy can barely muster enough hands to put two of its six Collins-class boats to sea. - source

Royal Australian Navy has admitted its submarine crew retention and recruiting problem for the past 2-1/2 years, at least:
March 02, 2009 - Admirals Carefully Stepping Over the Obvious. Aussie Subs Must Revive Elite Team Spirit
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March 1, 2009 - Automation Kills Submariner Spirit
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January 29, 2009 - The Crikey news: The "going down club"
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September 11, 2008 - Updating Submarine Retention and Recruiting in a Job That Females Now Do
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September 06, 2006 - Curious: Aussie Admiral Pushes Nuclear Sub Fleet
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Well, we now know that Australia's current fleet of six Collins-class submarines will be replaced by 12 longer-range Australian-manufactured subs. Also, the Australian government, which bans atomic energy in Australia, has ruled out nuclear propulsion. That is no surprise either, is it?
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What will be the surprise is the answer to the current submarine Mystery Question of the Year:

Exactly how does a navy that cannot currently crew its fleet of 6 Collins class subs propose to crew twice as many new subs?
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Hint: We can apparently rule out an even more automated design than the present Collins class.
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The answer, which Vigilis does not as yet know, should prove fairly interesting. Standby.

Submarines are always silent and strange.