Sherman A1
Sherman A1's JournalThe secrets of the desert aircraft ‘boneyards’
f you find yourself driving down South Kolb Road in the Arizona city of Tucson, you’ll find the houses give way to a much more unusual view; rows of military aircraft, still and silent, spread out under the baking desert sun. On and on, everything from enormous cargo lifters to lumbering bombers, Hercules freighters and the F-14 Tomcat fighters made famous in Top Gun.
This is Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, run by the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG). It’s home to some 4,400 aircraft, arranged over nearly 2,600 acres (10.5 sq km). Some look like they were parked only a few hours ago, others are swathed in protective coverings to keep out the sand and dust. Inside the facilities' hangars, other planes have been reduced to crates of spare parts, waiting to be sent out to other bases in the US or across the world to help other aircraft take to the air again. To those who work here, Davis-Monthan is known by a far less prosaic name, one more in keeping with the Wild West folklore from Arizona’s earlier days. They call it The Boneyard.
Davis-Monthan is not the only aircraft boneyard in the world, but it is by far the biggest. The climatic conditions in Arizona – dry heat, low humidity, little rain – mean aircraft take a lot longer to rust and degrade.
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140918-secrets-of-the-aircraft-boneyards
Editorial: Money-hogging is hurting Missouri's economy
The credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s reports that growing income inequality is making it harder for Missouri and other states that depend heavily on income taxes to pay their bills.
Why is that? When fewer people have more of the money, and when nearly everyone in the state is taxed at the same 6 percent rate, state revenue can’t keep up with the demand for services. And with ever more people needing help from the state (because the people at the top are keeping money that used to be distributed through good jobs), the problem snowballs.
Polls show that at least two in three Americans regard growing income and wealth disparities as a problem. And most think the government has a role in fixing it, though they don’t think it’s as important as creating jobs and paying down the national debt. More about that irony shortly.
For the moment, let us note that most Americans vaguely agree that income inequality is a problem. But when Republicans say that fixing it would mean income redistribution — socialism! — Americans are against that, too
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-money-hogging-is-hurting-missouri-s-economy/article_7555eeba-2277-5c6d-aae8-f741be5865c4.html
Emerson funding $4.4 million for Ferguson scholarships, job training
Emerson, one of the region’s largest companies, is donating $4.4 million to fund scholarships and youth employment efforts for residents in north St. Louis County and Ferguson, where its headquarters is based.
The funding commitment is one of several investments announced in recent weeks by St. Louis businesses to address economic disparities in Ferguson in the wake of the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by police Officer Darren Wilson.
Emerson, a Fortune 500 company with $24.7 billion in annual revenue, employs 1,300 people at a campus near the site of protests and looting that followed Brown’s death on Aug. 9. Emerson’s headquarters on West Florissant Avenue is across the street from the temporary location of a police command center during the weeks of unrest.
Through its new “Ferguson Forward” initiative, Emerson will contribute $300,000 a year for five years to the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Opportunity Scholars Program for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students who are minorities or whose parents didn’t attend or graduate college.
http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/emerson-funding-million-for-ferguson-scholarships-job-training/article_278e8a1f-8167-5129-a395-a8a0f867e187.html
Highland teacher strike ends
The first-ever strike in Highland School District history ended Thursday after six school days, sending teachers back to classrooms today with a three-year contract that includes salary increases each year.
The union vote to approve the district’s contract offer came just in time for Highland’s highly ranked football team to compete today after being forced to forfeit last week’s game.
“It feels like we stood up for the education of this community and in the end, the board realized how important it was to maintain quality education and provide a contract that will do that,” said ShiAnne Shively, president of the Highland Education Association. Of 153 teachers present, 150 voted to accept.
The agreement has a total average salary increase of 4.3 percent over three years, Superintendent Mike Sutton said. Teachers agreed to give up six personal days during the three-year contract to make up all six days of the strike. Those revisions to the school calendar have not yet been determined.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/highland-teacher-strike-ends/article_f6ada638-ce2f-5297-b58a-1598a39ff598.html
Man accused of Belleville meat tampering is ruled too dangerous for bail
EAST ST. LOUIS • Regardless of Ron Avers’ frail appearance and his attorney’s claim that hiding sewing needles in supermarket meat is not a crime of violence, a federal judge here decided Wednesday that Avers is too dangerous for bail.
“The court cannot find any (bail) conditions that are adequate and sufficient and that would reasonably ensure the safety … of the community,” U.S. District Judge David Herndon said. He ordered that Avers, 68, of Belleville, remain in the St. Clair County Jail until trial Nov. 3.
Nobody was seriously hurt in seven incidents in 2013-14 in which needles were discovered. One buyer reported being stuck in the hand, and another found a needle in her mouth.
Avers, a disabled veteran who carries an oxygen tank to aid his breathing, was arrested in July, based on a review of surveillance pictures from the Shop ’n Save store at 4201 North Belt West in Belleville. He is charged with violating the Product Packaging Protection Act.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-accused-of-belleville-meat-tampering-is-ruled-too-dangerous/article_9cd31351-df90-54c2-9a1b-0e3b0ec0872c.html
Just my opinion, but I think he does need to stay in confinement of some type, as his actions posed a danger to society.
Canon Announces Three New Lenses
In addition to the 7D Mark II, Canon also announced three new lenses this week at Photokina: EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM, EF 24–105mm f/3.5–5.6 IS STM and EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM. The first two are designed to work on both full-frame and APS-C cameras, while the 24mm f/2.8 is designed to be only used on cropped sensor cameras. The EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM is an update to the first model of the lens that was produced back in 2000, and this time Canon put a lot of new technology into the lens and has updated the lens design. The letters “DO” stand for “Diffractive Optics“, which not only reduce chromatic aberrations thanks to their different light dispersion path, but also allows for much smaller lens design. As a result, the EF 400mm f/4 is significantly smaller and lighter than the regular 400mm f/2.8L lens. In addition to the above benefits, the 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM now has better coatings to reduce ghosting and to improve color balance. Just like the professional “L” lenses, the lens has both dust and water-resistant construction and a 3 mode Image Stabilization system that offers up to four stops of vibration compensation. At $6,899 it is not a cheap lens by any means, but at the size a little bigger than a 70-200mm lens, it is surely an attractive choice for those that want to be able to hand-hold a 400mm lens.
Read more: http://photographylife.com/canon-announces-three-new-lenses#ixzz3DfI8sT00
Lots of new stuff announced at Photokina by several manufacturers.I noted that Sigma also had some lenses releasing.
Free Entrance Days in the National Parks
http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htmAmerica's Best Idea - the national parks - is even better when it's free!
Mark your calendar for these entrance fee-free* dates in 2014:
There are still a couple of free days left this year.
Missouri mayor, 80, accused of stealing from town account
NEOSHO, Mo. • The mayor and treasurer of a tiny southwest Missouri town is accused of writing checks on a village account for more than $9,000 worth of personal expenses.
The Joplin Globe reports Jimmy Brown, 80, of Redings Mill was charged Tuesday with felony theft/stealing in Newton County Circuit Court.
Sheriff Ken Copeland says members of the Redings Mill village board contacted his department in July about missing funds. He says the investigation indicates Brown used the money to pay for things like dentist bills, utilities and other personal expenses.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/missouri-mayor-accused-of-stealing-from-town-account/article_90cda174-2f96-57c3-8c63-71ca7428578c.html
National AFL-CIO President Says Kentucky's Senate Race Is a Top Labor Priority
The leader of a national labor union said Wednesday Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race is a top priority for organized labor that could define the country’s direction over the next two decades.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is visiting the state this week to rally working-class voters at a critical time for Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes’ bid to defeat Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell, who has widened a slight lead in the polls.
Trumka said thus far the Senate race has been about everything else but a referendum on McConnell, especially in regards to jobs and the economy.
“Of course Mitch McConnell wants this race to be about every but him and his record,” Trumka told WFPL in a one-on-one interview Wednesday.
http://wfpl.org/post/national-afl-cio-president-says-kentuckys-senate-race-top-labor-priority
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