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About the unmanned planes - you're flat out wrong. A predator is built with mostly COTS parts, with a price-tag of $4.5 million - compared with the $300 million price tag of a manned fighter jet.

How did that post have anything to do with mine? Did you even catch onto the nation of reference which has:

  * 200-400 nuclear weapons, most mated to delivery systems
  * Threated Iraq
  * Threatens Iran

But, lets take the bait anyways. So, the Iraqis gained immensely from our invasion, eh? True. They gained this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and this.

In fact, in comparison with other big nations, China's defense expenditure remains in a relative low level, Yang said, citing the statistics that China's military payout in 2004 totaled 25.579 billion US dollars. In contrast, "the US defense expenditure hit 455.9 billion US dollars at the same time, or 17.8 times more than that of China in total payout and 77 times more than that of China in term of per-capita defense expenditure," Yang added.

http://english.people.com.cn/200507/21/eng20050721 _197358.html

We're talking about the largest (both landmass and population) nation in the world here. Even if the Chinese estimate is off by a factor of 3, its still rather puny.

This is from an older (2000) comparison of Chinese and Taiwanese military power. Consider that in the global scheme of things, Taiwan is very close to China. This is a direct measurement of ability to project power.

Power projection is about remote deployment, and the ability to control events half way around the global. The U.S. maitains unprecedented ability to project power.

Gauging the military balance across the Strait of Taiwan is an inexact art, at best. Geography clearly favors Taiwan, separated from the mainland by 100 miles of water. The numbers appear to favor China, but much of its armament is old and the state of training of its forces uncertain. Secrecy on both sides further clouds the issue.

The Federation of American Scientists has done an intriguing comparison of the Allied forces required for the invasion of Normandy from Britain in 1944, the largest amphibious operation in history, and what would be available for China's

In fact, in comparison with other big nations, China's defense expenditure remains in a relative low level, Yang said, citing the statistics that China's military payout in 2004 totaled 25.579 billion US dollars. In contrast, "the US defense expenditure hit 455.9 billion US dollars at the same time, or 17.8 times more than that of China in total payout and 77 times more than that of China in term of per-capita defense expenditure," Yang added.

http://english.people.com.cn/200507/21/eng20050721 _197358.html

We're talking about the largest (both landmass and population) nation in the world here. Even if the Chinese estimate is off by a factor of 3, its still rather puny.

This is from an older (2000) comparison of Chinese and Taiwanese military power. Consider that in the global scheme of things, Taiwan is very close to China. This is a direct measurement of ability to project power.

Power projection is about remote deployment, and the ability to control events half way around the global. The U.S. maitains unprecedented ability to project power.

Gauging the military balance across the Strait of Taiwan is an inexact art, at best. Geography clearly favors Taiwan, separated from the mainland by 100 miles of water. The numbers appear to favor China, but much of its armament is old and the state of training of its forces uncertain. Secrecy on both sides further clouds the issue.

The Federation of American Scientists has done an intriguing comparison of the Allied forces required for the invasion of Normandy from Britain in 1944, the largest amphibious operation in history, and what would be available for China's

"The Large Millimeter Wave Telescope (LMT) program is the U.S.-complement to a coordinated U.S.-Mexico project. The DARPA program is providing technology assessments for design, systems integration and technology-leading metrology for a 50-meter aperture, fully steerable millimeter wave radio telescope. The fully developed telescope features a sophisticated laser metrology system to maintain precise alignment of the optics, and real-time closed loop adaptive control to maintain a near-perfect parabolic surface at all pointing angles and under most environmental conditions."

Metrology: the science that deals with measurement.

I suppose that's another reason why we need to be thankful of a certain visitors to our island city. :-|

False, I'm afraid. That's Doha, Kuwait.

Camp Doha

Camp Doha is a warehouse complex north of Kuwait City which has been a major US base since the Gulf War.

Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
2506'57"N 5118'55"E ...

Hangars, prefabricated maintenance buildings, aprons, and sunshades for the fighters would have to built at Al-Udeid, a huge air field about 35 kilometers south of Doha. ...

In the autumn of 2001, the US began installing computers, communications and intelligence equipment and other assets at Al Udeid Air Base, in order to establish an alternate command center. ...

By late March 2002 the US was moving communications and computer equipment from Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia to Al-Udeid, ...

False, I'm afraid. That's Doha, Kuwait.

Camp Doha

Camp Doha is a warehouse complex north of Kuwait City which has been a major US base since the Gulf War.

Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
2506'57"N 5118'55"E ...

Hangars, prefabricated maintenance buildings, aprons, and sunshades for the fighters would have to built at Al-Udeid, a huge air field about 35 kilometers south of Doha. ...

In the autumn of 2001, the US began installing computers, communications and intelligence equipment and other assets at Al Udeid Air Base, in order to establish an alternate command center. ...

By late March 2002 the US was moving communications and computer equipment from Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia to Al-Udeid, ...

Where is the HQ of Al-Jazeera? Doha, Quatar.

Where was the HQ of Operation Iraqi Freedom? Doha, Quatar.

Ney. Only the clients ever did, if that. NORAD was completely built on IRIX - which I believe they converted to Solaris - this was LOOOONG after I left the state. I worked on the Loral project, and the whole thing was run off a huge bank of SGI Crimson's at least as late as 1997. But no, there's no F'in *way* that the systems could run on Windows - and this coming from a QA person at the code level. If you can tell me how this system could possibly run on Windows, I'll give you a cookie! :P

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/au-18/au18004c .htm

Did I mention that I'm hellaterrified of the information that I was able to pull up while looking up to confirm that they are still on IRIX??????

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/cmc.htm

While I could not find any information on what they are actually running today (that would be *bad*) It looks like some systems are using HP-UX, too. But that will have to go away, since HP let that go down the pipes. Bastards.

But suffice it to say, there's no way in hades that NORAD systems could be running on W2k, it just couldn't handle it. Again, there's the possibility of the clients doing it, but not the backend systems. :)

Jho

It was the ASAT system launched from F-15s, the Air-Launched Miniature Vehicle (ALMV)
http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/almv.h tm

The Russians had one too
http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/world/russia/m ini.htm

Theres been a host of other systems that bordered on or had ASAT capabilites over the years.

It was the ASAT system launched from F-15s, the Air-Launched Miniature Vehicle (ALMV)
http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/almv.h tm

The Russians had one too
http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/world/russia/m ini.htm

Theres been a host of other systems that bordered on or had ASAT capabilites over the years.

White Phosphorus (WP), known as Willy Pete, is used for signaling, screening, and incendiary purposes. White Phosphorus can be used to destroy the enemy's equipment or to limit his vision. It is used against vehicles, petroleum, oils and lubricants (POL) and ammunition storage areas, and enemy observers. WP can be used as an aid in target location and navigation. It is usually dispersed by explosive munitions. It can be fired with fuze time to obtain an airburst. White phosphorus was used most often during World War II in military formulations for smoke screens, marker shells, incendiaries, hand grenades, smoke markers, colored flares, and tracer bullets. The Battle of Fallujah was conducted from 8 to 20 November 2004 with the last fire mission on 17 November. The battle was fought by an Army, Marine and Iraqi force of about 15,000 under the I Marine Expeditionary Force (IMEF). US forces found WP to be useful in the Battle of Fallujah. "WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE. We fired "shake and bake" missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out. ... We used improved WP for screening missions when HC smoke would have been more effective and saved our WP for lethal missions." White phosphorus is not banned by any treaty to which the United States is a signatory. Smokes and obscurants comprise a category of materials that are not used militarily as direct chemical agents. The United States retains its ability to employ incendiaries to hold high-priority military targets at risk in a manner consistent with the principle of proportionality that governs the use of all weapons under existing law. The use of white phosphorus or fuel air explosives are not prohibited or restricted by Protocol II of the Certain Conventional Weapons Convention (CCWC), the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects.

Which is why the Yamantau Mountain complex in Russia, some 1 300 km from Moscow, has raised so many eyebrows.

"The LRA rebels say they are fighting for the establishment of a government based on the biblical Ten Commandments. They are notorious for kidnapping children and forcing them to become rebel fighters or concubines. More than one-half-million people in Uganda's Gulu and Kitgum districts have been displaced by the fighting and are living in temporary camps, protected by the army.

Forty-eight people were hacked to death near the town of Kitgum in the far north of Uganda on 25 July 2002. Local newspaper reports said elderly people were killed with machetes and spears, and babies were flung against trees. Ugandans were shocked by the brutality of the latest attack by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army."

If by "target terrorists" you mean kill the people who resist our illegal occupation plus some others who happened to get in the way...

"repair infrastructure" you mean fail to repair infrastructure,

and by "build schools" you mean stage photo-ops,

"plant democracy" you mean pave the way for an Iranian-allied theocracy and civil war

What are you doing posting on Slashdot? Go over there and plant democracy! The Marines need you!

They are called submarines. In the littorals, quiet subs have a very, very good chance of getting within torpedo range of American warships, even in deep water the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano shows that a fast-attack can sneak into a group and hit a captial ship.

Detecting submarines isn't easy, even for the US Navy. You get into an area with wrecks or noise from cross currents and it's very easy to miss a diesel-electric on batteries. As more and more people move to urban areas along the coastlines the Navies of the world will be concentrating in those shore areas and the whole war navies fight and defend against submarines change due to the fact that littorals are different than deep water. US Navy is moving big into littoral combat systems.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/shi p/ssn-774-mission.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/shi p/lcs.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARA_General_Belgrano

They are called submarines. In the littorals, quiet subs have a very, very good chance of getting within torpedo range of American warships, even in deep water the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano shows that a fast-attack can sneak into a group and hit a captial ship.

Detecting submarines isn't easy, even for the US Navy. You get into an area with wrecks or noise from cross currents and it's very easy to miss a diesel-electric on batteries. As more and more people move to urban areas along the coastlines the Navies of the world will be concentrating in those shore areas and the whole war navies fight and defend against submarines change due to the fact that littorals are different than deep water. US Navy is moving big into littoral combat systems.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/shi p/ssn-774-mission.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/shi p/lcs.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARA_General_Belgrano

You mean like this?

I think I'll file it next to the space elevator literature.

Uh, it was the Orient express, started in 82 by Ronald Regan, designed to go Mach 10 from NY to Tokyo in 10 hours.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/air craft/nasp.htm

-everphilski-

ICBMs were all multistage when you got to the later generations.

This was an UR-100N / SS-19 STILLETO correct?

Number of Stages - 3

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/ur- 100n.htm

The demilitarization for commercial use generally has the final stage removed, destroyed under treaty varification, and a commercial stage added.

Actually, they went up a long way.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/lgm-30_3 -specs.htm

A Minuteman III goes up 700 miles, then at the top of the arc kicks off the MIRV platform.

"CryoSat will measure variations in ice elevation and thickness with an accuracy of the order of a centimetre per year. CryoSat, weighing about 700 kg, will circle the earth in a polar orbit of about 720 km. From there its radar will measure the changes in the thickness of the polar and ocean ice."

447 miles, well within the design celling of an ICBM.

If you really want to know what is in store for the armed forces, do a Google search for "Future Combat Systems". Here, I'll link to the first hit. There are alot of smart people working on this. The military is planning ahead.

FACTs: Russia is increasing millitary spending by 30%+
Russia is raking it in selling oil at huge profits.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russi a/mo-budget.htm

In fiscal year 1996, NASA spent about $3.2 billion of its $14.3-billion budget for shuttle production and operations.

You have to actually carry out field tests. Generally this means you develop a simulated agent that is less dangerous than the real thing, calibrate it against the live agent in a sealed chamber**, and then conduct full-scale field trials with the simulant.

Cities were unwittingly used as laboratories to test aerosolization and dispersal methods; Aspergillus fumigatus, B. subtilis var. globigii, and Serratia marcescens were used as simulants and released during experiments in New York City, San Francisco, and other sites. Concerns regarding potential public health hazards of simulant studies were raised after an outbreak of nosocomial S. marcescens (formerly Chromobacterium prodigiosum) urinary tract infections at Stanford University Hospital between September 1950 and February 1951, following covert experiments using S. marcescens as a simulant in San Francisco. A report from the Centers for Disease Control completed in 1977 found no association between reported morbidity and mortality from pneumonia and influenza and local simulant experiments.

A series of field tests took place under the auspices of the Biological Laboratories from 1943 to the mid-1960s:

• In one such test, travelers at Washington National Airport were subjected to a harmless bacterium. Traps were placed throughout the facility to capture the bacterium as it flowed in the air. Laboratory personnel, dressed as travelers carrying brief cases, walked the corridors and without detection sprayed the bacterium into the atmosphere.
• In the New York Subway, a light bulb filled with the same harmless bacterium was dropped on the tracks. The organism spread throughout the system within 20 minutes. Traps and monitoring devices showed the amount of organism--if it were one of the predictable, dangerous organisms, could have killed thousands of persons. No one was injured or became ill as a result of the test.
• In San Francisco, a U.S. Navy ship, equipped with spray devices operated by Fort Detrick personnel, sprayed serratia marcescens, a non-pathogenic microorganism that is easily detected, while the ship plied the San Francisco Bay. It spread more than 30 miles to monitoring stations.
• A jet aircraft equipped with spray devices, flew a course near Victoria, Texas, and the harmless particles were monitored in the Florida Keys.

In March 1968, 6,400 sheep were found dead after grazing in south Skull Valley, an area just outside Dugway's boundaries. When examined, the sheep were found to have been poisoned by a deadly nerve agent called VX.

Just so long as you don't consider sarin or mustard gas to be WMDs. Perhaps you should read through the Iraqi Survey Group's findings, http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/report/2 004/isg-final-report/.

Article Exerpts pertaining to chem weapons:

"Two weeks ago, U.S. military units discovered mustard gas that was used as part of an IED. Tests conducted by the Iraqi Survey Group (search) -- a U.S. organization searching for weapons of mass destruction -- and others concluded the mustard gas was "stored improperly," which made the gas "ineffective."

They believe the mustard gas shell may have been one of 550 projectiles for which former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein failed to account when he made his weapons declaration shortly before Operation Iraqi Freedom began last year. Iraq also failed to then account for 450 aerial bombs with mustard gas. That, combined with the shells, totaled about 80 tons of unaccounted for mustard gas."

"It was a weapon that we believe was stocked from the ex-regime time and it had been thought to be an ordinary artillery shell set up to explode like an ordinary IED and basically from the detection of that and when it exploded, it indicated that it actually had some sarin in it," Kimmitt said.

The round was an old "binary-type" shell in which two chemicals held in separate sections are mixed after firing to produce sarin, Kimmitt said.

Iraqi Scientist: You Will Find More

Gazi George, a former Iraqi nuclear scientist under Saddam's regime, ... he believes many similar weapons stockpiled by the former regime were either buried underground or transported to Syria. He noted that the airport where the device was detonated is on the way to Baghdad from the Syrian border.

George said the finding likely will be the first in a series of discoveries of such weapons.

"Saddam is the type who will not store those materials in a military warehouse. He's gonna store them either underground, or, as I said, lots of them have gone west to Syria and are being brought back with the insurgencies," George [said]. "It is difficult to look in areas that are not obvious to the military's eyes.

"I'm sure they're going to find more once time passes," he continued, saying one year is not enough for the survey group or the military to find the weapons.

Saddam, when he was in power, had declared that he did in fact possess mustard-gas filled artilleries but none that included sarin.

"I think what we found today, the sarin in some ways, although it's a nerve gas, it's a lucky situation sarin detonated in the way it did ... it's not as dangerous as the cocktails Saddam used to make, mixing blister" agents with other gases and substances, George said.

We used them on the Koreans during the Korean war. Hell, we even used them on our own people! You doubt it?.. read your history books.. here's a link in the mean time.. http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/bw.htm

We're constantly hearing about combat robots, but are any in use?

The RQ-1 Predator is being actively used in a combat role.

While at the moment they are used via remote control for combat (perhaps for political reasons) a single pilot/operator can use several at the same time because they have an autonomous flight capability. How long do you think it would be in a war of survival before pilots controlled many multiples of drones. And how little time before those drones took on more and more automation ? There have been fire and forget missiles around for decades. It's simply degrees of autonomy and disposability.

See this for example http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/gro und/fcs-arv.htm

Actually, the US military has spent billions of dollars to reduce collateral damage. Thats why the US has developed laser guided bombs and EO guided weapons and JDAMs and that is why the US is developing the small diameter bomb series.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/mun itions/smart.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/mun itions/sdb.htm

"The Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) is half the weight of the smallest bomb the Air Force uses today, the 500-pound Mark 82. It uses a 250 pound-class warhead that has demonstrated penetration of more than 6 feet of reinforced concrete. Utilizing a smaller weapon improves aircraft load-out and mission effectiveness. The size and accuracy of small diameter bombs allows aircraft to carry more munitions to more targets and strike them more effectively with less collateral damage. Because of its capabilities, the Small Diameter Bomb system is an important element of the Air Force's Global Strike Task Force."

"The Small Smart Bomb is a 250 pound weapon that has the same penetration capabilities as a 2000lb BLU-109, but with only 50 pounds of explosive. The 250 pound-class warhead that has demonstrated penetration of more than 6 feet of reinforced concrete. "

Actually, the US military has spent billions of dollars to reduce collateral damage. Thats why the US has developed laser guided bombs and EO guided weapons and JDAMs and that is why the US is developing the small diameter bomb series.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/mun itions/smart.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/mun itions/sdb.htm

"The Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) is half the weight of the smallest bomb the Air Force uses today, the 500-pound Mark 82. It uses a 250 pound-class warhead that has demonstrated penetration of more than 6 feet of reinforced concrete. Utilizing a smaller weapon improves aircraft load-out and mission effectiveness. The size and accuracy of small diameter bombs allows aircraft to carry more munitions to more targets and strike them more effectively with less collateral damage. Because of its capabilities, the Small Diameter Bomb system is an important element of the Air Force's Global Strike Task Force."

"The Small Smart Bomb is a 250 pound weapon that has the same penetration capabilities as a 2000lb BLU-109, but with only 50 pounds of explosive. The 250 pound-class warhead that has demonstrated penetration of more than 6 feet of reinforced concrete. "

Interesting side note:

  "The Department of Commerce requested a priority effort is given to getting the New Orleans Air Products liquid hydrogen facility back into operation as quickly as possible. The facility represents 31% of North American industrial hydrogen production.

A total of 44% of America's liquid hydrogen supply has been lost due to a previously scheduled shut down of APCs hydrogen plant in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada."

http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/facility/micho ud-ap.htm

Still think the United States can claim to have a "Hydrogen Economy" when 44% of hydrogen production capacity is down and noone seemed to notice?

Get real.

As for the US...surely you haven't forgotten WHY there were so many western military troops in the middle east (prior to 2000), which is a main objection of OBL. Something about one country attacking another country. And the rest of the region asking the US and the UN for help. I seem to remember something like that. It's OK if you don't remember...it WAS quite a while ago.

You are correct sir.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/nuclear- football.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_football

It is something I wasn't aware of, I thank you.

Very interesting, I still do not like the idea of the President (least of all this President) being able to launch a "football" without checks and balances. That still gives the executive branch more power then I think the position deserves. Especially considering it is being written to allow for "pre-emptive" strikes.

I would HATE to see a scenario like...
"He tried to kill my Daddy." -GWB (http://archives.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/09/27/bu sh.war.talk/)
"They have Weapons of Mass Destruction..." -GWB (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/10/2 0021007-8.html)
"I think I'll NUKEM!" - possible GWB (I fear this) ... that occur.

It is recommended that you don't carry more 40 to 55 pounds. In a combat situation anyway. And I don't see why this doesn't apply to backpackers. External frame backpacks can also be quite heavy, so it would be interesting to see how much the backpack+motor would cut into your weight allowance.

So Japan isn't sovereign either, then?

Japan is occupied(4) by the US? Funny - I thought that the current US presence in Japan was agreed upon by a mutually negotiated treaty with the elected Japanese government in the 1960s, well after occupation, and played no part in the day to day operation of, and local policing of, the country.

Silly me.

the recession was there

Apparently you need to look at a graph of the markets. Ignoring that what you claim is wrong (the recession began in March according to the Republican-dominated CBO), we see the following pattern: Bush takes office. The economy starts a slow decline (a good thing! It was overheated). 9-11 strikes. The economy plummets. The economy recovers somewhat. Bush starts the buildup to the Iraq war. The economy plummets further. The Iraq war is launched. The economy starts to recover. The Iraq war stagnates. The economy fluctuates, but mostly stagnates.

Check it out sometime - that's the recent history of our economy, no matter what you check (Dow & Nasdaq, unemployment, consumer confidence, etc). They all fall into the same curve.

shortage from Katrina

There was no shortage from Katrina - there was a distruption from Katrina, which is already being compensated for. Katrina took down about ten gulf rigs, which while significant for the companies that owned them, is not a significant dent in the world market.

Nigeria ... Venezuela .. Persian Gulf ... China

Little has changed, production-wise, in those countries. Nigeria and Venezuela have gone down a little, and the Persian Gulf is up outside of Iraq and handle world growth (especially, as you mentioned, China). Iraq is still exporting well below even its OFF levels.

Don't you know BY LAW these guys have to be given their jobs back?

Don't you know BY PHYSICS that they can't be in two places at once? When they're not conducting their job on the homefront, that's an economic loss, whether or not they "get their job back" afterwards.

DOD growth has been occuring but it is part of a cycle

No, it is part of a pattern: a Republican takes office, it grows; a democrat takes office, it shrinks. Only, the growth and shrinkage alone (let alone total budget) are more than any "pork" you could classify, and far more than "welfare".

shortfall in weapons

Hello, we spend *Half Of The World's Total Military Spending*. We spend something like 30 times as much as the "Axis of Evil" countries plus Libya, Cuba, Venezuela, and Sudan spend combined. What the heck kind of "shortfall in weapons" is that?

I doubt we spend 50% of the defense budget

You doubt wrong (it's not exactly half, but close enough - 466B$ vs 500B$.) Note that they use US estimates of Chinese military spending, not their official budget. Yet they use the US official DoD budget, not the actual expenses (i.e., they don't include Iraq, nuclear weapons (DoE), veterans benefits, etc). I.e., they're being more than generous to making the US look like it spends a smaller % than it actually does.

the economy is doing well

Hahahahaa!!!!!! Oh, that's a great one! Meanwhile, six years later, the Dow is below where it was in 1999. A great economy equals the worst overall presidential economic record since Hoover? That's priceless.

more than paying for the war

The nation has a *huge* deficit; it had essentially no deficit when he entered office. All of that Iraq spending is going straight into deficit.

could have been found somewhere out of SOME budget

192 billion dollars takes painful cuts across the board to swallow up. Apparently you don't know what "across the board" means. Yes, you can deal a deathblow to one program instead of a cut in order to spare a different program any cut, but that would not fly. The fact is, huge cuts had to be made to spending (and even *still* we have a huge deficit), and when you have to make huge cuts to spending, things like the COE suffer.

Social Program spending

"Social Program" != Welfare. Welfare is specifically TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families). Medicare and Medicaid *combined* ou

More concise before / after pics can be found here: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/ne w-orleans-imagery.htm

There's this thing called an ocean, with lots of hydrogen in it. Quite a bit of deuterium oxide can be extracted from it. In fact, back in the 1940s the Norwegians were extracting heavy water via a hydroelectric plant at Vemork.

Discovering more deuterium than we have in the oceans might be interesting but doesn't seem very necessary in the near term.

You're right. I also just sent money and can't do much else, except check the news feeds. There are some impressive before/after satellite images here:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/ne w-orleans-imagery.htm

Sounds a bit like the self-healing minefield, an anti-tank minefield that has a built in mesh network (!) and shuffles mines around to fill in gaps.

No word if it runs Linux, though.

The numbers that I had came from:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army /index.html

and from:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/end- strength.htm

They could definitely be misleading in that they do include *all* associated personnel, and not just designated combat infantry. I tried to find better numbers directly from DoD or the US Army, but Global Security was the best I found.

30,000 still sounds low to me, but, then again, there have been a lot of cuts in allowed personnel. Do you know of a better source that I could look at? I like to have the best info I can get my hands on!

The numbers that I had came from:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army /index.html

and from:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/end- strength.htm

They could definitely be misleading in that they do include *all* associated personnel, and not just designated combat infantry. I tried to find better numbers directly from DoD or the US Army, but Global Security was the best I found.

30,000 still sounds low to me, but, then again, there have been a lot of cuts in allowed personnel. Do you know of a better source that I could look at? I like to have the best info I can get my hands on!

We call our M16s M4s now.

Ass-data, pure and simple. The M4 is derived from, but is not, an M16:
The M4/M4A1 5.56mm Carbine is a lightweight, gas operated, air cooled, magazine fed, selective rate, shoulder fired weapon with a collapsible stock. A shortened variant of the M16A2 rifle, the M4 provides the individual soldier operating in close quarters the capability to engage targets at extended range with accurate, lethal fire. The M4 Carbine achieves over 80% commonality with the M16A2 Rifle and will replace all M3 .45 caliber submachine guns and selected M9 pistols and M16 rifle series.

Those guys risk their lives more than any current astronauts.

Untrue, there was a third possible landing site for this mission in White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico. Then there's a long list of other possible places: http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/facility/sts-e ls.htm Notice that some of those are regular commercial airports like Arlanda, Sweden (Stockholm's airport) and Orlando IAP.

Sounds like you're thinking about Rods from God. They're using Tungsten not Iron-Nickel, but the idea is the same, and after it hits, nobody will be able to tell what it was made of anyway. Although something with the impact force of a small nuclear weapon sure sounds like it violates the ban on WMDs in space to me, or at least it ought to.

His idea sounds like a naive version of "Rods from God" to me, which would indeed involve a guidance satellite working together with the satellite carrying/dropping the rods.

And get the senate to pass a special law just for them.