Japan's Defense

From the Stars and Stripes:

"Japan enacts major changes to its self-defense laws"

 

Japan’s Diet enacted the nation’s broadest changes to its defense laws since World War II early Saturday, following several hours of last-ditch efforts by opposition parties to derail the legislation. The package of 11 security bills and amendments backed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — and generally supported by U.S. officials — passed a Diet upper house committee on Thursday, despite a shoving match between lawmakers, leading to attempts on Friday at a floor vote. Five opposition parties on Friday went about blocking the government’s wishes to pass the bills before a five-day holiday in Japan by using a series of delaying tactics.  A censure vote against Abe failed at 3 p.m., which was followed by no-confidence motions and debate directed at Abe’s Cabinet late Friday night. Even if the upper house had not passed the legislation, a second vote in the lower house would still have enacted the new measures. The bills passed the more powerful lower house in July, buoyed by the ruling coalition’s two-thirds majority. The new laws allow Japan’s Self-Defense Forces to defend the country’s close allies in combat for the first time under its constitution, which renounces “war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. The laws also allow SDF troops to defend weapons platforms of foreign countries contributing to Japan’s defense, while providing a standing legislative procedure for overseas troop deployments. Any use of force must be used only when there is no other option and to the minimum extent required, according to the new legal changes. The legislation also broadens the support available from Japan to United States troops engaged elsewhere in combat, said Kenji Isezaki, professor of peace and conflict studies at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. “The newly enacted permanent law enables SDF to provide not only water and fuel but ammunition as well,” Isezaki said. “The Self-Defense Force has now become a convenience store in the ocean.”  President Barack Obama and other U.S. officials have voiced support for changes aimed at allowing Japan to take a larger role in providing global security, even though a majority of the Japanese public oppose the change. A Sept. 14 poll by the Asahi newspaper showed 54 percent against the bills, with 29 percent in favor and the remainder undecided.  A majority also said that the bills did not need to be passed during the current legislative session, while 75 percent said that the issue had not received enough debate in the Diet. The right to collective self-defense hadn’t been considered legal until Abe’s Cabinet signed off on a reinterpretation of the nation’s constitution last year. Nevertheless, multiple scholars have testified before the Diet that only a constitutional amendment — which has never happened and would require more support than Abe’s government has right now — would make the new security legislation constitutional. However, government sources maintained Friday that the new laws would allow SDF troops to protect civilians engaged in peacekeeping efforts aboard, and that the laws would give troops more leeway to use weapons during peacekeeping operations. The new laws could spur Japan to sail farther from its home shores alongside the U.S., Australia and other allies. The U.S. asserts freedom of navigation rights in the South China Sea, despite ambiguous claims by China to most of its waters and airspace. Japan’s interests may align, given China’s claim on Japanese-held territory in the East China Sea. Abe stirred controversy in May when he mentioned that the new laws could be used to allow Japan to conduct minesweeping operations in the Strait of Hormuz, should Iran attempt to choke the flow of global oil supplies. Opponents saw the comment as further proof that the new laws could get Japan entangled in foreign wars that do not directly threaten the nation.

 

 

^ On the one hand I think Japan has a right to defend itself and its people inside Japan and around the world. On the other hand it is the 70th anniversary of the end of World War 2 (which Japan helped start along with Germany) and which many in Japan have not taken full responsibility for their country's actions during the war. There is a fine line between self-protection and a nationalist expansion and that needs to be regulated by both the Japanese, its allies and the international community to make sure the Japan of the 1930s-40s doesn't return. ^

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/japan-enacts-major-changes-to-its-self-defense-laws-1.368783
 

Russian 'Traitors"

From Yahoo:

"Russians with Western ties increasingly branded 'traitors'"

 

When Gennady Kravtsov sent a cover letter to a Swedish company, he reasoned that, even if a job didn't come of it, he at least would know whether his engineering skills were valued outside Russia. Instead, he found himself charged with treason and facing a possible 15 years in prison. Kravtsov worked for Russia's GRU military intelligence agency from 1990 to 2005 as a radio engineer in satellite intelligence. For five years after he quit, he was barred from leaving Russia or taking certain security jobs because of the sensitive nature of the work. But when that period was up he sent a cover letter to a Swedish company he found online. Nothing ever came of it. In 2013, Russian counter-intelligence officers asked Kravtsov about the contact, and last year grabbed him on the street and threw him in jail. The Russian government increasingly has portrayed any cooperation with foreign companies or nationals as a potential security threat, a throwback to Soviet times when any interaction with foreigners aroused suspicion. The eclectic group of Russians charged with treason this year includes a mother of seven, a Sochi traffic controller, a Black Sea Fleet sailor, a Siberian police major, a Russian Orthodox Church employee, a Moscow university lecturer and a retired nuclear scientist. The variety of suspects is not in itself evidence of a harsher crackdown, but Russia is clearly widening its net on treason and hauling in the most people in years. Nine people, including Kravtsov, were arrested in Moscow in 2014 on suspicion of treason, according to the Moscow City Court. Across Russia, 15 people were convicted of treason last year, nearly four times as many as the year before, Russian Supreme Court data show.  The stepped up campaign against suspected traitors follows a Kremlin move in 2012 to expand the definition of treason to include undefined "assistance" to a foreign government, which rights activists have warned could lead to abuse. "If you look at it, any person who has talked to a foreigner and said something bad about the government can be sent to prison," said veteran human rights defender Lev Ponomarev. Kravtsov's lawyer, Ivan Pavlov, has handled treason cases for 20 years, but he has never had as many clients as he has now. "They look for enemies and they find them. These are various people, from a breastfeeding mother to former intelligence agents," Pavlov said. "The mood in law enforcement agencies, how aggressive they are, their zeal to intensify their search and prosecute (more people) stem from the developments in Ukraine and Russia's position in the world." He said "every single treason case" he has seen recently has a connection to the crisis in Ukraine — where the government is fighting a pro-Russia insurgency — either because the person had traveled there or had some personal ties.  Russia is returning to old Cold War tactics in other ways as well. In July, the Nizhny Novgorod State University fired its vice rector, an American who had lived in Russia for two decades, after a state television program criticized him for hanging portraits of American scientists on university walls. When state media seek to discredit Russia's marginalized opposition, they often accuse them of being too cozy with Western diplomats. It is the treason campaign that perhaps most evokes the repression of the Soviet era. "At first I thought he was the only 'spy' in prison," said Kravtsov's wife, Alla Kravtsova. "Then I realized it was a war-time campaign. A campaign to catch spies had begun and Gena was at the right time in the right place with his stupid letter." Pavlov is barred from discussing details of Kravtsov's case, but he said that prosecutors are accusing his client of revealing his job description at the GRU, as well as information about the military capability of the Tselina-2 radio surveillance system. Kravtsov's defense argued that since the satellite, invented in the 1970s, has not been in use since 2000, information about it should not be classified. The lawyer himself has been kept in the dark about much of the case, he said, and the defense was helpless since the government list of classified information is classified as well. Kravtsov's case was heard at the Moscow City Court, with the trial proceeding behind closed doors. Kravtsov's wife turned up at every hearing, even though she was not allowed in. She stood outside, straining to listen through the door and waiting to get a glimpse of her husband whenever it opened.  Prosecutors on Monday asked the court to sentence the 47-year-old Kravtsov to 15 years in prison. The verdict is expected next Monday. Kravtsov, a father of two, quit his GRU job in 2005 because he felt that the military intelligence agency was wasting money and his talent, his wife said. He got a job at a think tank in Moscow, but once the five-year ban on travel and employment in security-related jobs expired, he started exploring other options. His wife said he sent a letter to the Swedish firm, using an online program to translate it into English, and soon got a reply that the company was not interested. "He just wanted to find out whether his skills were in demand elsewhere or he should get new training and work somewhere else," Kravtsova said. In 2013, he wrote one more letter, "a cry for help," as his wife described it. She said he mailed a letter addressed to the Belarusian defense minister saying he was frustrated with the decline of his field in Russia and wanted a job in Belarus, a former Soviet republic that remains a close ally of Moscow.  A few months later, in July 2013, Russian counter-intelligence officers approached him on the street. "They came for him, showed him their ID on the street, as in Stalinist times," Kravtsova said. "They didn't even let him go home, but put him in the car and took him to their office." She said the FSB officers asked him about the email to Sweden and seized his computer the same evening. For the next year, Kravtsov dutifully answered the investigators' calls and went to meet with them whenever they asked, although there were no charges against him. His wife said the investigators told him he was free to travel, but just after the family bought a package tour to Greece, Kravtsov was arrested on the street, his arms pinned behind his back. The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, did not respond to a written request for comment. Both of Kravtsov's children, 4-year-old Vasilisa and 8-year-old Anton, know that their father is in prison. His wife said that when Anton was asked in school why his father no longer comes to pick him up, the boy said: "He's in prison, but don't be afraid, he's a political one." Pavlov thinks that senior Kremlin officials no longer have to send orders to their subordinates to crack down on dissent or to be on the lookout for spies, because the political system has taken on a life of its own. "Every official on every level, from investigators to judges, they feel it; they don't need anyone to pick up the phone and call them," the lawyer said. "Everyone knows what to do."

 

 

^ Old habits die hard in Russia especially when all the people in control now are the same ones who had control during Soviet times. It's sad that ordinary Russians are being fed the same old propaganda today that they were from 1917-1991. The only "saving grace" now is that there was a 20+ year gap from the time the USSR collapsed to the current situation and the majority of Russians now have more of a hold on everything international (travel, food, cultures, history, etc) so they can smell a propaganda campaign and know the truth - with that said many people now know what is a lie and what is the truth but most  Russians would still rather be told what to do and how to live rather than stand on their own two feet. That is a throwback from Czarist and Soviet times and seems to be the only constant in the country. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/russians-western-ties-increasingly-branded-traitors-065105955.html
 

Real Soviet Hero

From the Stars and Stripes:

"Russian who 'saved the world' recalls his decision as 50/50"

 

The elderly former Soviet military officer who answers the door is known in the West as "The man who saved the world." A movie with that title, which hits theaters in the United States on Friday, tells the harrowing story of Sept. 26, 1983, when Stanislav Petrov made a decision credited by many with averting a nuclear war. An alarm had gone off that night, signaling the launch of U.S. intercontinental ballistic missiles, and it was up to the 44-year-old lieutenant colonel to determine, and quickly, whether the attack on the Soviet Union was real. "I realized that I had to make some kind of decision, and I was only 50/50," Petrov told The Associated Press. Despite the data coming in from the Soviet Union's early-warning satellites over the United States, Petrov decided to consider it a false alarm. Had he done otherwise, the Soviet leadership could have responded by ordering a retaliatory nuclear strike on the United States. What made this even more dangerous was that the Soviet Union appears genuinely to have feared a surprise U.S. nuclear attack during what was an exceptionally tense period of the Cold War. That month, the Soviets had shot down a passenger plane flying to South Korea from the U.S., suspecting it of spying. The United States, after a series of provocative military maneuvers, was preparing for a major NATO exercise, called Able Archer, which simulated preparations for a nuclear attack. In the movie, "The Man Who Saved the World," by Danish director Peter Anthony, actors portray the events of that night in 1983. The dramatic scenes are interwoven with footage of the real Petrov as an older man at his home in Russia, and on a 2006 trip to the United States, where he receives an award at the United Nations and meets with movie stars, including Kevin Costner, Matt Damon and Robert De Niro. In his homeland, Petrov's role in history has won him little fame. He still lives in Fryazino, a town on the outskirts of Moscow, in a simple, unkempt apartment that looks much as it does in the movie, down to the long strip of yellow fly paper hanging from the ceiling. Unlike in the movie, where Petrov is shown angrily chasing out foreign journalists who have come to hear his story, he proves a gracious host, welcoming guests into his kitchen. When Petrov, now 76, looks back on that night at the secret Serpukhov-15 control center, he remembers the sound of the alarm that shattered the silence shortly past midnight. "It was this quiet situation and suddenly the roar of the siren breaks in and the command post lights up with the word 'LAUNCH,' " he said. "This hit the nerves. I was really taken aback. Holy cow!" He stood up and saw that the others were all looking at him in confusion. "My team was close to panic and it hit me that if panic sets in, then it's all over." He needed to make a decision. In the movie, Petrov speaks of not wanting to be responsible for setting off a nuclear war. But in the AP interview he suggests this was more of the filmmakers' poetic license. "Sorry, I didn't have time to think about whether I would be the one who started World War III," he said. "I had to decide how reliable the information sent by the computer was." Within minutes of the first alarm, the siren sounded again, warning of a second U.S. missile launch. Soon, the system was reporting that five missiles had been launched. Petrov reported to his commander that the system was giving false information. He was not at all certain, but his decision was informed by the fact that Soviet ground radar could not confirm a launch. The radar system picked up incoming missiles only well after any launch, but he knew it to be more reliable than the satellites. The false alarm was later found to have been caused by a malfunction of the satellite, which mistook the reflection of the sun off high clouds for a missile launch. Petrov was not rewarded for his actions, most likely because doing so would have brought to light the failure of the Soviet's early-warning satellites. Although his commanding officer did not support Petrov at the time, he was the one who revealed the incident after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. If Col. Gen. Yury Votintsev had not spoken out, Petrov said he himself "would have forgotten about it like a bad dream." Retired Maj. Gen. Vladimir Dvorkin, an expert on Russia's strategic nuclear forces, played down the importance of the decision forced on Petrov, saying the Soviet leadership in any case would have waited for confirmation from the radars before launching a retaliatory attack. What's more, Dvorkin said, Russia no longer even has full satellite coverage of the United States, and relies fully on its radar network to monitor U.S. nuclear forces. "The situation in Russia today is such that the satellite system doesn't work at all, and this doesn't frighten anyone too much," he said. "As you can see, everyone is living peacefully, without panic."

 

 

^ I've heard of this story before. No matter what Petrov says he saved the world by his quick decisions. He was trained to not think, but merely to do and yet had he followed his orders and retaliated against the American "attack" then none of us would be here today. It's a shame that the Soviet Union and then Russia has never acknowledged the role he played or the billions of people he saved. This movie is coming out at a time when people around the world are getting back into that period of the 1980s - the 2nd closest the world got to all-out nuclear war. The TV show "Deutschland 83"  - which deals with NATO, Able Archer and the Communist's paranoia of a first-strike - is very popular in the US even though most Americans hate to read subtitles. I am interested in watching this new movie. I hope it is accurate to the time period and doesn't involve current Russian issues. ^

http://www.stripes.com/news/europe/russian-who-saved-the-world-recalls-his-decision-as-50-50-1.368576

Russian Crimewave

From the MT:
"Russia Sees 2015 Crime Rate Spike"

 

The crime rate in Russia has reversed a longstanding downward trend, jumping sharply in the first eight months of this year by 6.7 percent, according to a top Russian prosecutor. Almost 1.5 million crimes had been committed in Russia this year by Sept. 1, Deputy Prosecutor General Vladimir Malinovsky said during a talk at the Civic Chamber on Tuesday, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. Malinovsky said the new figures could not fail to cause alarm, RIA reported. The increase means that Russia looks set to see an annual rise in the crime rate for the first time in several years, reversing a steady downward trend. Malinovsky highlighted a particular jump in the number of crimes committed by people under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs, RIA reported. There were 2.1 million crimes reported in Russia in 2014, 2.2 million in 2013 and 2.3 million in 2012, according to statistics from the Prosecutor General's Office. In July, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree reducing the number of police in the country by 10 percent to a little over one million people. Russia is in the throes of an economic crisis caused by an oil price collapse and international isolation over Ukraine, which has driven a rise in poverty, falling real incomes and reduced government spending.

^ This isn't that surprising. It seems the sanctions imposed on Russia and the self-imposed bans along with the immense spending on frivolous projects like the Sochi Olympics, the annexation of Crimea, the war in eastern Ukraine, the Russian military build-up in South Ossetia, Abkhazia and now Syria have all helped to lead to the ordinary Russian suffering. The number of Russians living below the poverty-line has grown in the last year and with that has the crime rate as desperate people do desperate things. It is sad to see ordinary Russians suffering for what their government is doing, but that is usually the case anywhere in the world in these kind of circumstances. It may be time for Moscow to start looking internally rather than internationally and solve their own issues with crime, their economy, etc. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russia-sees-2015-crime-rate-spike/531102.html

Dislike FB

From the BBC:
"'Dislike' button coming to Facebook"

 

Facebook is to add a "dislike" button to its social network, founder Mark Zuckerberg has said. In a Q+A session held at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, the 31-year-old said the button would be a way for people to express empathy. He said Facebook was "very close" to having it ready for user testing. A "dislike" button has been constantly requested by some users since the introduction of the now-iconic "like" button in 2009. "People have asked about the 'dislike' button for many years," Mr Zuckerberg told the audience on Tuesday. "Probably hundreds of people have asked about this, and today is a special day because today is the day that I actually get to say we are working on it, and are very close to shipping a test of it." However he went on to say he did not want it to be a mechanism with which people could "down vote" others' posts. Instead, it will be for times when clicking "like" on "sad" posts felt insensitive.  Prof Andrea Forte, an expert in social and participatory media at Drexel University in Philadelphia, said users will not suddenly turn on each other's posts.  In an email, she wrote: "They may use a dislike button to express some negative emotions (like frustration with ads popping up in their feeds) but I doubt it will cause them to start wantonly disliking pictures of their friends' babies, dogs, cats and cooking experiments. "I suspect it will mainly be used to express mild disapproval, or to express solidarity when someone posts about a negative event like a death or a loss."

 

^  There are some people who "like" every post I write even if it's something bad. That's usually because they don't take the time to actually read the post. Now when the "dislike" button is made available hopefully those same people will take an extra second to read the post and either like or dislike it. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34264624

Uber Disabled

From Disability Scoop:

"Uber, Lyft Under Pressure To Improve Accessibility"

 

The conference Andy Arias planned to attend on a recent weekday was less than a mile from his apartment in downtown Los Angeles, but he called an Uber to stay out of the oppressive summer sun.

As Arias approached the sedan, the driver saw that he was in a wheelchair. He recalls telling her that he could slide into the back seat on his own, and she would only need to stow the folded, 10-pound wheelchair frame in the trunk. But she refused to get out of the car. Eventually, a bystander lifted the wheelchair into the trunk. “It was a teachable moment, and that’s putting it gently,” said Arias, an actor in his late 20s, who has cerebral palsy. “I’ve met drivers who were surprised or shocked that I was in a wheelchair, but you can’t just refuse to help.” Arias’ experience, and others like it, have raised concerns that app-based ride service Uber and its main rival, Lyft, aren’t doing enough to meet the needs of passengers in wheelchairs. As the start-ups negotiate for permits to pick up passengers at Los Angeles International Airport, advocates are pressing regulators to require better access for travelers with disabilities, saying they should be as confident that they can catch a ride with Uber and Lyft as with a taxi. Both companies are facing lawsuits across the country — in California, Texas and Arizona — alleging that their drivers discriminate against people with wheelchairs and seeing-eye dogs. Some say compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act could become a stumbling block for the companies as they look to expand and solidify their role in the rapidly changing world of on-demand transportation. App-based ride companies “really are ahead of their time, when it comes to transportation innovation,” said Ruthee Goldkorn, a Los Angeles-area disability advocate. “I love that. But you can’t leave people behind.” People in manual wheelchairs, like Arias, can ride in most cars with relative ease. But electric wheelchairs, which are heavier and bulkier, require a ramp or lift on a vehicle and tie-downs to provide stability during the ride. The Uber and Lyft apps include a feature that enables passengers to call a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. But how many are available and how long passengers wait to be picked up have become cause for concern, as have questions about vehicle inspections and driver training. State regulators have told the companies to provide equal service for people with disabilities, but have not gone into detail. In a key ruling that legalized ride-hailing services statewide two years ago, a Public Utilities Commission official noted that California has “few provisions or protections to ensure equal access for passengers with disabilities” in an Uber or Lyft car, as well as town cars and limousines. Uber and Lyft say they require their drivers to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. But because drivers are considered independent contractors, the companies cannot require them to buy a wheelchair-accessible car, they say. Those vehicles, often retrofitted minivans, are costlier to maintain, and the additional weight of the equipment makes them less fuel efficient. When city officials agreed to allow a permit process for Uber and Lyft to operate at LAX, they asked airport officials to include a provision requiring that all transportation providers serve passengers with disabilities. How that will be accomplished isn’t clear.

Uber declined to comment on the record on the number of vehicles it has in Los Angeles. But during a hearing with LAX’s disability advisory committee this year, company representatives said they had about 10 wheelchair-accessible vehicles available in L.A., provided by a non-emergency medical transportation company. A ride in an accessible taxi in Los Angeles costs the same as any other cab. About 10 percent of the city’s 2,361 taxis can accommodate electric wheelchairs — an important service for the 1 in 10 Angelenos who identify as having a disability. Many rely on public transportation, cabs and paratransit services to run errands, make social calls and get to doctor appointments. They can sometimes wait hours before a ride arrives. The city’s nine franchised taxi companies can’t require drivers — who are independent contractors — to buy or lease a specific car. But some companies make the option more attractive by offering a bonus of $10 or $15 per trip, or by providing a discount on the monthly fees that drivers pay toward their dispatch systems and insurance, a Department of Transportation spokeswoman said. Uber drivers in San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles can opt to receive extra training on how to work with passengers with walkers, scooters and wheelchairs, a company representative said. The training will soon include tips on working with passengers with intellectual disabilities. That’s a start, advocates say. But they say such training should be mandatory for every new hire. Arias, the actor, said using Uber across the country has become a way for him to educate more people on how to work with people with disabilities. Sometimes, he says, drivers are startled to see that their passenger is in a wheelchair, but are usually eager to learn how to help him into the car and store the wheelchair in the trunk. “But I’m one of the only people I know of in a wheelchair who takes Uber on a regular basis,” Arias said. “I’ve heard it so many times: ‘We’re not taking Uber because they’re not accessible.’ People don’t want to needlessly expose themselves to those frustrations.” If Uber invests more heavily in paratransit, he thinks there will be a big market waiting. More than 17 million Americans, or about 7 percent, have a physical disability that makes walking a quarter-mile difficult or impossible, according to federal data. That number is expected to rise as baby boomers get older.

^ Uber and Lyft need to do a whole lot more to hire and train drivers on how to transport people with disabilities. The cost to ride should be equal whether you are a regular passenger or in a wheelchair or have a service dog. Otherwise that is discrimination pure and simple. Uber is "fighting" across the US and around the world to get its drivers permission to operate and I'm sure if they treated the disabled as any other passenger then they would have more of a stand when requesting that permission. ^


http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/09/14/uber-lyft-accessibility/20794/

Nazi Berlin

From Huff Post:

"Reminders of Nazi Germany in Berlin"

 

Berlin, the capital of Germany, holds a unique and sad chapter in the world history books. While the modern city is home to a plethora of cultural and educational institutions, Berlin during World War II was a significantly different place. When Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in 1933, the republic that had been known for housing the German expressionist movement became the headquarters of a movement that devastated a people and a planet. Hitler's Germany may be gone, but it is not forgotten. Here are four historical landmarks in the city of Berlin that hold somber reminders of a time not long ago.

Bebelplatz

Historically, Berlin prided itself on being a place that valued learning, a city of rich culture that is the proud home of the Deutsche Oper Berlin opera house and Humboldt University. Steps from these impressive structures, however, is Bebelplatz: a simple town square where free speech was symbolically eradicated on May 10, 1933. It was there the Nazis held their first book burning, destroying the works of authors they felt were against their cause. Moments from the Gendarm Nouveau Hotel, visitors can see a monument to this historic event under the square--a display of empty white shelves below the earth.

The Reichstag Building

This historical building housed the German parliament, or Reichstag, until it caught fire in February 1933. Because of the mysterious circumstances around this fire, the Nazi Party suspended many rights in an attempt to weed out those who stood against them. Ultimately, the German reunification ceremony was held at the Reichstag building in 1990, and the building was then gutted and reconstructed. However, many remnants of its history remain, most notably Soviet graffiti from the final battle for Berlin.

The Führerbunker

Although the building itself has been destroyed, visitors still flock from the nearby Winters Hotel to the site of Hitler's bunker, next to the Reich Chancellery. This locale holds special significance to the life of the dictator, as it is the site of both his wedding and his suicide. Hitler spent the last six weeks of his life in this bunker, and it was here where he finally admitted the war was lost. On April 30, 1945, it is believed he took cyanide and ultimately died of a self-inflicted gunshot.

The Holocaust Memorial

One tourist spot that grew out of the ashes of Nazi Germany is the Monument to the Murdered Jews in Europe, located near the Brandenburg Gate (Berlin's most famous landmark, visible from the Hotel Adlon). This memorial was created by Peter Eisenman and Buro Happold between 2003 and 2004, and it consists of undulating paths nestled between tall concrete blocks of various sizes. Underneath the memorial is a simple yet powerful museum holding the names of all known Jewish Holocaust victims.  Although it is a dark hole in humanity's past, remnants of Nazi Germany can still be found in Berlin. Pockets of this sad history rest between the tourist attractions, renowned restaurants and hotels in Berlin, visible beneath a repaired exterior. If you are planning a trip to Germany's capital city, be sure to take some time to leave your Berlin hotel and explore the education and historical significance the town has to offer.

 

^ I have always wanted to visit Berlin and visit both its Nazi and Cold War sites. This article has half of that covered. I don't think the Holocaust Memorial should be included on here since it wasn't around when the Nazis were murdering the Jews. Also if the Holocaust Memorial is included here then how come the Memorial to the Gypsies and the Memorial to the Homosexuals aren't included? ^

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hipmunk/reminders-of-nazi-germany_b_8109766.html
 

Wasteful Spending

From the MT:
"Russia Spends $5 Billion Annually Propping Up 'Statelets' – Report"

 

Russia spends about $5 billion every year in aid on the self-proclaimed independent states it supports, according to a report published by Stratfor, a private U.S. analysis and intelligence company. The company cited its own rough estimates. Of that $5 billion, Russia sends around $300 million to Abkhazia and at least $100 million each to South Ossetia and Transdnestr to support their budgets, keep the cost of fuel low and pay pensions, according to Tuesday's report. Abkhazia and South Ossetia are self-proclaimed states that are internationally recognized as being part of Georgia, and Transdnestr is a breakaway state located on a strip of land in eastern Moldova. Russia recognizes Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent, but does not recognize Transdnestr as such. Russia also sends $2.42 billion to Crimea, not including military costs, Stratfor claimed. The report did not specify whether this sum is distributed between the city of Sevastopol and the republic of Crimea, which Russia treats as two different federal subjects. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, but most countries still recognize it as part of Ukraine. The Russian government also sends 2.5 billion rubles ($38 million) every month to pay pensions in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) in Ukraine's east, news agency Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing two unidentified sources in the rebel administration.  The Kremlin has repeatedly denied that it supports the insurgents in Ukraine's east apart from sending humanitarian aid to the region.  Russia's federal 2015 budget was allocated at $206 billion, according to Stratfor.

^ Maybe if Russia spend that $5 Billion on its own people then the majority of Russians would live above the poverty line. As it is the average Russia only makes less than $200 a month. That is made  worse with the international sanctions placed on Russia for annexing the Crimea and helping the ethnic Russian terrorists in eastern Ukraine. If Russians remembered their history they would know that the main reason the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 was because of over-spending (mainly in military areas) with no thought of helping the ordinary person or its economy. Sometimes history repeats itself and so it would probably be in the interest for the current Russian Government to start focusing on its own people. It would be one thing to have enough money to help both your own citizens as well as people around the world, but when you can't afford that option then you should always focus inwards rather than outwards. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russia-spends-5-billion-annually-propping-up-statelets--report/531131.html

Disabled Hate Crime

From Disability Scoop:

"Life Sentence In Disability Hate Crimes Case"

 

Linda Weston — the Philadelphia woman charged with enslaving and torturing adults with disabilities for years in a basement so she could steal their benefit checks — pleaded guilty Wednesday in a deal that spared her a potential death sentence. Instead, she agreed to accept a life term plus 80 years after admitting to all 196 federal counts filed against her including charges of murder, kidnapping, sex trafficking, hate crimes, forced labor and benefits fraud. Weston, 55, appeared addled and confused through much of Wednesday’s hearing, at one point loudly proclaiming she wanted to enter a “not guilty plea” before quietly reversing herself. Her decision ends years of internal Justice Department debate over whether to seek her execution for a gut-churning series of crimes. “This is a sufficient sentence to mete out justice here,” U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe said, signaling that she intends to adopt the sentence Weston and prosecutors have agreed upon at a formal sentencing hearing Nov. 5. She and the other members of what prosecutors have dubbed the “Weston family” lured, confined and controlled their targets with mental disabilities, while seeking to make money off of them in any way they could. Together, the documents say, the group stole more than $200,000 in Social Security benefits from their captives by pressuring them to sign documents naming Weston their designated payee. They forced others, including Weston’s 17-year-old niece, into prostitution. To keep the costs of care low, they locked their wards naked in basements, attics, cupboards and closets. They fed them with depressant-spiked beans and Ramen. And when supplies ran low, they forced their victims to eat their own and other people’s waste. “The mentally disabled individuals were targeted and in large part were estranged from their families,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Faithe Moore Taylor. “The Weston family offered them a place to stay.” The group shuttled their captives from Philadelphia to Texas, Virginia, Florida and back again to avoid detection and left in their wake the bodies of those who did not survive malnourishment and beatings with sticks, bats, guns and hammers. All the while, Weston admitted Wednesday, they continued to add victims to their menagerie by snatching them off of street corners, proposing romantic relationships and even forcing their captives to have children together so Weston could file new government benefit claims. Authorities rescued four of the family’s victims in October 2011 after discovering them emaciated, covered in filth and chained in an apartment basement in the Tacony section of Philadelphia. The captives begged police not to take them away for fear that they would be punished for disobedience. But even as prosecutors detailed that depravity in court, it was hard to reconcile the crimes they described with the timid woman who sat before them in court. The decision to offer a plea deal, he said, came after a “very deliberate process” in consultation with Weston’s defense team and U.S. Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. All of Weston’s victims and their families were notified in advance of the plea deal and none objected, Barrett said.

 

 

^ This woman is beyond vile. Jail is too good for her. This also shows that the justice system in the US is failing. Everyone talks tough about breaking the laws and how you will be punished, but when people do horrendous crimes like this one they are given a very weak sentence. Being given a Life Sentence (even without a chance for parole) does not mean what it once did. A person can get out after several years (with good behavior, appeals, etc.) This woman needs to be given a much harder sentence to show her and others that you can not treat the disabled (or anyone) like wild beasts. They are human beings and deserve much better. ^

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/09/10/life-sentence-hate-crimes-case/20784/

Russian Fingerprints

From the MT:
"Russians Applying for Schengen Visas Required to Give Fingerprints"

 

Russians applying for Schengen visas are required to give their fingerprints as of Monday, the RBC news agency reported. Once recorded, fingerprints will be stored for five years. Children under the age of 12 and disabled people with no fingers are exempt from the requirement, along with government leaders and members of official government delegations, the report said. The costs of Schengen visas, which allow holders to visit any country in Europe's 26-state Schengen Area, will remain the same. The measure has already been implemented for several Middle Eastern, Asian and African countries. Fingerprints are also required from applicants in Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus, the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper reported in July. Russian tourist organizations worry that the new rules will create obstacles for residents of remote regions of the country who will have to travel to visa centers to provide their fingerprints, and will cause a further decrease in the number of tourists traveling to Europe. “We fear that demand for trips to Europe will decrease by 30 percent, while the overall number of tourists going abroad has dropped by 50 percent [since the start of the economic crisis],” Irina Tyurina, spokeswoman for the Russian Tourism Industry Union, was cited by the Vesti FM radio station as saying Monday. Russians were granted more than 5.76 million Schengen visas in 2014, about a third of all Schengen visas issued worldwide, RBC reported, citing European Union data.

^ Russia imposed fingerprinting requirements on two EU countries (Denmark and the UK) so it seems only fair that the EU requires the same for Russians. The other day EasyJet announced they were stopping their London to Moscow flights because of the low demand (due to both international sanctions as well as added visa requirements.) I don't see Russians not going to the EU's Schengen Area with or without these new fingerprinting requirements, but do see EU citizens deciding not to go to Russia if their visa regime stays the way it is. Russians tend to focus on Europe while EU citizens can go around the world - - -most without a visa or at least a visa on arrival. For all those people that say the world is getting smaller everyday it seems the opposite is becoming true. Borders around the world are being strengthened, visa requirements are being tightened and the costs  are going up on everything. It would be nice if the current trend could be reversed, but that can't happen unless things around the world change for the better. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russians-applying-for-schengen-visas-required-to-give-fingerprints/530321.html

Schengen Closed

From the BBC:

"Migrant crisis: More EU states impose border checks"

 

More EU countries have said they are imposing border checks to deal with an influx of migrants. Austria, Slovakia and the Netherlands said they would tighten controls, hours after Germany imposed checks on its border with Austria.  It came as EU interior ministers held emergency talks in Brussels. Hungary also completed a fence along its border with Serbia on Monday, and blocked a railway line used as the main crossing point by migrants. The BBC's Fergal Keane at the border said people were being directed to an official registration point near the town of Roszke. Hungary is due to enforce tougher measures from midnight, including arresting illegal immigrants, and Prime Minister Viktor Orban told Hungary's TV2 a state of emergency was "likely" to be introduced in the border area. The new border checks further north are a challenge to the EU's Schengen agreement on free movement, although the rules do allow for temporary controls in emergencies. European states have been struggling to cope with a record influx of migrants, many aiming for Germany. EU ministers are due to vote on a plan from May to redistribute an initial 40,000 asylum seekers from Syria and Eritrea through mandatory quotas, though Central and East European states have opposed this.  The EU has since raised the total number of people it seeks to share out through quotas to 160,000 asylum seekers across 23 EU states.   On arrival in Brussels, Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak said he was against the quota plan, because "it's not possible to hold the migrants in the countries by force".  Some other former communist states in Central and Eastern Europe also oppose mandatory quotas. Austrian police said up to 7,000 people had arrived from Hungary on Monday, and 14,000 on Sunday. Chancellor Werner Faymann said troops were also being deployed, primarily to provide humanitarian help within Austria, but would be sent to the border if necessary. "If Germany carries out border controls, Austria must put strengthened border controls in place," Vice-Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner said.   Also on the EU ministers' agenda is a plan to agree a common list of countries considered safe for migrants to be sent back to - a measure that could speed up deportations.  Meanwhile the EU approved a plan for its operation in the Mediterranean to conduct "search, seizure and diversion... of vessels suspected of being used for human smuggling". Most of the migrants who surged into Hungary in recent weeks fled conflict, oppression and poverty in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea. Many have been refusing to register in countries such as Greece or Hungary, fearing it will stop them being granted asylum in Germany or other EU states.  On Monday, Germany's new border controls were said to be causing traffic jams as long as 20km (12 miles) on motorways in Austria. Local media also reported that 25 suspected people traffickers had been arrested overnight, though there was no sign of migrants being turned back.

^  Many EU countries (especially Germany) criticized other countries like Hungary for trying to deal with all the migrants entering their country and now the shoe's on the other foot. Germany is now doing the same (minus the border wall - for now.) It's clear the EU doesn't have a good system to deal with this or much of anything. They usually don't make a plan until after something happens (rather than try and have something in place just in case it does happen.) Then it takes several years to get all the member-states to set something up. That slow-paced "thinking" is what put the EU in its current situation and while individual member-states are trying to solve the massive number of migrants themselves.  The main issue the chaos in the EU right now shows is that the member-states don't seem to trust other member-states as well as no one trusting the main EU Government. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34242123

Still Searching

From the Stars and Stripes:

"List of troops missing since WWII still tops 83,000"

 

They still weep. Even after all these years. For their men who vanished in war -- fathers, sons, brothers, husbands whose remains were never found. For the shadows that have haunted their families. And the vigils that won't end until there's no one left alive who remembers and still hurts Time is not on your side, Jack Kull reminded those who came to the Norfolk Waterside Marriott on Saturday for an update from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. That's the government department responsible for determining the fate of America's missing service members once hostilities end and for recovering remains where possible. More than 83,000 are unaccounted for from World War II to the latest conflicts. Politics keep recovery teams out of North Korea. In Vietnam, acidic soil eats at remains in rugged regions that are hard to reach. Roughly 75 percent of the missing were lost somewhere in the Pacific, most in deep water. No one is getting those family members back, Kull said. Around 26,000 others are considered "pursuable -- cases where we have something we can work with. Where there's a chance." There is hope. Since the agency last came to Norfolk nearly 20 years ago, the remains of 1,473 once-missing service members have been sent home.

 

^ It's hard for many people to imagine the enormous task that it is to find the remains of soldiers in faraway places that contain: jungles, deserts, oceans, mountains, forests, etc. With that said it is good to see that the US Government hasn't stopped looking for their men and women that have been missing since the 1940s. Some countries would just have given-up long ago. ^

http://www.stripes.com/list-of-troops-missing-since-wwii-still-tops-83-000-1.367885

14 Years: 9/11

From the Stars and Stripes:

"Moment of silence marks 14th anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks"

 

 

 

With a moment of silence and somber reading of names, victims' relatives began marking the 14th anniversary of Sept. 11 in a subdued gathering Friday at ground zero. Hundreds of victims' relatives — fewer than thronged the ceremonies in their early years — gathered, carrying photos emblazoned with the names of their lost loved ones as they remembered the day when hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center's twin towers, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pa. "We come every year. The crowds get smaller, but we want to be here. As long as I'm breathing, I'll be here," said Tom Acquaviva, 81, who lost his son, Paul Acquaviva, a systems analyst who died in the trade center's north tower. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama stepped out of the White House at 8:46 a.m. — when the first plane hit the north tower — to observe a moment of silence. Later Friday, the president was scheduled to observe the anniversary with a visit to Fort Meade, Md., in recognition of the military's work to protect the country. The Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville in western Pennsylvania was marking the completion of its visitor center, which opened to the public Thursday. At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and other officials were joining in remembrances for victims' relatives and Pentagon employees. After years of private commemorations at ground zero, the anniversary now also has become an occasion for public reflection on the site of the terror attacks. An estimated 20,000 people flocked to the memorial plaza on the evening of Sept. 11 last year, the first year the public was able to visit on the anniversary. The plaza was to open three hours earlier after the anniversary ceremony. "When we did open it up, it was just like life coming in," National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum President Joe Daniels said this week. While the memorial will still be reserved for victims' relatives and other invitees during the morning ceremony, afterward, "the general public that wants to come and pay their respects on this most sacred ground should be let in as soon as possible."

 

 ^  I made sure I flew home yesterday rather than today, but I almost got stuck at LaGuardia (NYC) and would have had to fly home today. For those of us who had friends and/or family physically go through that horrible day it doesn't matter how many years go by because it is still as fresh today as it was 14 years ago. ^

http://www.stripes.com/news/us/moment-of-silence-marks-14th-anniversary-of-sept-11-attacks-1.367500

Longest Reign

From the G & M:

"The Mathematics of the Monarchy"

 

On Wednesday, Queen Elizabeth II enters the history books as the United Kingdom (and modern Canada’s) longest-reigning monarch. Here are some other important numbers about the Queen’s eventful reign, her wealth and other things you didn’t know

 

89

The Queen’s current age. She was crowned on June 2, 1953 – just over a year after the death of her father, George VI, made her sovereign – when she was only 25. In 2007, she surpassed her great-great-grandmother Victoria (who died at age 81) as Britain’s longest-living monarch – but this week’s milestone also puts her past Victoria’s record reign of 63 years, seven months and two days.

When the Queen became Canada’s sovereign, she inherited a tradition of the Canadian Crown that includes the French as well as British empires. That means there’s one French monarch, officially a Canadian sovereign, who still beats her record: Louis XIV, who reigned for 72 years in the 17th and 18th centuries.

 

11

Prime ministers of Canada who have served during her reign. The current one, Stephen Harper, was born in 1959, making him the first prime minister to have been born in her tenure as Canadian head of state. The Queen has also seen 12 British prime ministers, 12 U.S. presidents and seven popes come and go.

 

1

Monarchs who have served longer than the Queen. Only Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose rule has lasted 69 years, has reigned longer.

 

 

67 years, nine months and 20 days

Duration of the Queen’s marriage to Prince Philip, as of Wednesday. This also makes her the longest-married monarch in British history – certainly a longer union than those of her four children, three of whom have previously been divorced, including the famous annus horribilis, 1992, when Prince Charles separated from Diana, Princess of Wales.

 

 

£22.8-billion

The estimated value ($46.3-billion) of the British monarchy’s assets, according to analysis by Reuters. This would give the Royal Family one of the world’s Top 20 fortunes – comparable with the wealth of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg – and makes the monarchy wealthier than it has ever been under Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. Estimates of royal wealth are tricky because some of the Queen’s assets are privately owned. Buckingham Palace stresses that the Crown Estate – an independent company that manages royal properties and is the key engine of the monarch’s wealth – does not belong to the Queen. Instead, profit from the Estate and some other assets go to the HM Treasury, which then gives funds to the Queen, known as the Sovereign Grant. The Reuters estimate includes the value of the Crown Estate, the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall and the Royal Collection, the trove of art and jewellery that includes the Crown Jewels. It does not include the value of royal residences, such as Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle or Balmoral, the royal residence in Scotland.

 

22

Number of times the Queen has visited Canada during her reign, more than any other realm of the Commonwealth (Australia has had 16 visits, New Zealand 10 and Jamaica six). The visits have ranged from the adulatory (such as her 2002 Golden Jubilee visit) to the controversial (in 1964, when she visited Quebec City, riot police’s clashes with pro-separatist protesters devolved into the infamous “Truncheon Saturday”.)

 

 

30+

Corgis the Queen has owned during her reign. Her father, George VI, first introduced the breed to his daughters in 1933 with pet dog Dookie. The future queen got her first corgi, Susan, as a birthday present in 1944, and that dog became the ancestor of a long line of royal pets. The Queen has also had several cocker spaniels, Labradors and “dorgis,” a Dachshund-corgi crossbreed.

^ Queen Elizabeth II has been the only Queen of Canada (and the UK, Australia, etc) that I have ever known. It is a good thing that we have her as the longest reigning monarch since she is also the most beloved and most intelligent that Canada and the other Commonwealth Realms has ever had. Even though most Canadians don't understand what the Monarch actually does in Canada they still love her as a symbol and a person. ^

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/queen-by-the-numbers-seven-things-to-know-about-our-longest-reigningmonarch/article26256034/

Colorado Springs

Since I already wrote about travelling to/from Colorado I will now talk about the trip itself. Since I knew beforehand that my sister was going to be working the whole time (except for Labor Day weekend) I didn't expect to do much other than: hang-out with my sister, eat at some restaurants that we don't have in my state and watch shows/movies on my sister's Netflix Streaming service (I can't get the streaming service on my mountain - I only get the regular DVDs.) I was in Colorado Springs for a total of 9 days and watched several full-seasons of TV shows (on Netflix) and hung out with my sister's 3 dogs. She has a puppy that really tired me out, but he (and the other two dogs) were fun to play with.

 

It was my eighth trip to Colorado Springs so I was no stranger to the city. With that said I was able to do three things this trip that I never did before. I finally got to eat at a  BBQ place and it was really good. I also got to drive through Garden of the Gods - I don't think I could hike through it though. Lastly, I went to the Colorado State Fair. It has been over a decade since I went to a fair (county or state) and so was pretty excited. We drove to Pueblo and got there right when they opened. Even though the gate opens at 10 am it turns out that the rides don't open until 12 pm (and there are no signs hanging or on the printed map they give you telling you that.) The fair was nice. It had a large section for animals, an amusement section and an entertainment section. We spent a little time seeing the animals and then saw some shows. The first was a Latin dancing group. Several kids did Peruvian dances. We then went to see a monkey show. I love monkeys and have never seen a monkey show before. Other than a really stupid woman hitting me with her umbrella as she walked by and then yelling at me as though it was my fault the show was pretty good. It was only 30 minutes long, but they had 2 adult monkeys and 2 baby monkeys (along with a dog.) After the show we got wristbands and then went on several rides.  It was the first time in about 10 years that I either wasn't a "third wheel" or "single" rider and it was nice. We had fun. Eating fried dough and gyros and drinking fresh lemonade was a plus. While I had a good time at the fair I wouldn't consider it a State Fair. If you took everything they had and placed them next to each other it would be the size of a county fair and not a state fair (unless the state was Rhode Island.) Another thing I took away from the fair (besides good food, fun rides and a monkey show) was a really nasty sun-burn all over my face and neck. Even when I try and sun tan on my balcony at home I don't get any color, but several hours at the CO State Fair and I got more than I needed or wanted.

 

Another fun thing we did in Colorado was meeting-up with my sister's friend and her husband. I had met the friend back in June, but we didn't talk much then. She's originally from Latvia and so it was nice to talk with a European as well as someone who knew things about Russia (for when I told my "Russian stories.") Her husband is American, but it was still cool to talk with him since he has travelled around the world too and we could all swap stories. I don't get to just hang-out and talk back home and even if I could the people where I live consider someone from the next town over to be "foreign" and so wouldn't understand dealing with different cultures or people.

 

Being in Colorado Springs also means being in civilization (especially compared to my state.) It's the land of 24 hour everything along with having things delivered to you - -no one delivers to my mountain - - not even the Post Office. We ate at the Edelweiss German Restaurant that I go to every time I'm in town (it was still good) and to several other good places. I get "spoiled" being there since everything is so easy and then I come back to my mountain where I can't even use a cell phone.

 

Like I said before, this was a more low-key, relaxed trip to Colorado. With that said it was still a lot of fun and I'm glad I got to go. I still couldn't see myself living in Colorado, but would go back for visits.

 

 

Colorado: There And Back

 

 

I just got back from visiting my sister in Colorado. Even though I was there last June for her graduation this trip was pretty different. First, it was just her and me (her boyfriend is currently working in Russia.) Second, last June she took the whole time I was there off and this time she was working - which I knew beforehand so it wasn't a surprise. Third, last June I flew US Airways/American and this time I went Delta. And finally, I got to do things this time that I haven't in the past. But more about that later.

 

When I started my trip I had the usual "fun" driving to the local airport: dense, thick fog. There are very few times that I drive to the airport (an hour and a half away from my house) that there isn't thunderstorms, heavy rain, fog or a snowstorm. When I drove down my mountain there was a little bit of fog, but once I got toward the capital the fog was so thick that I could only go about 5 mph (on the highway.) Luckily I gave myself lots of time so I was able to have breakfast at McDonald's (there are only 3 places in my state that are open 24 hours: hospitals, gas stations and several McDonald's.) After I ate I then went to the airport. As I already said last June when I went to Colorado I flew US Airways/American and went through Philadelphia and Dallas and had numerous problems and issues with both the airline and the airports (you can read the earlier post about it.) This time I flew Delta and went through LaGuardia and Atlanta and everything was much smoother. I had no problem checking-in, going through security or getting to my gate. I was waiting at my gate when an airport employee invited me to wait in the business center. It was pretty relaxing. There was also no issue boarding or aboard my flight to LaGuardia. I have never been to NY's LaGuardia before and was a little skeptical (especially after Biden called it a "Third World Country Airport.") I landed at Gate T 1 and was flying out of Gate T 2 so I didn't have to go far for my next flight. The one issue I did have with LaGuardia (going to CO) was the Internet. They didn't have free WiFi like most airports do. Again there was no problem boarding or on my flight to Atlanta. I've been to the Atlanta airport before and so knew I had to take the airport train to my next gate. As with all the earlier flights I had no issues and landed in Colorado Springs where I met-up with my sister.  I know it's not all that exciting that my trip to Colorado Springs didn't have major problems or issues, but it was pretty nice for me especially since the whole travelling time (from my house to my sister's house) took 18 hours.

 

Since I'll write about my time in Colorado in another post I'll write about my trip home from CO here. I flew Delta and went through Atlanta and LaGuardia again. Things this time weren't as carefree as they were before. I had no issue at the Colorado Springs Airport (other than wondering if the SkyCab "Capitan" who checked-in my bag (because Delta's desk wasn't open yet) would actually take my bag inside the airport - -he did, but I didn't know that until I landed at my last airport 16 hours later. In Atlanta I had to take a train to my next gate like before. Unlike the  last time though my flight to LaGuardia was delayed due to weather in NYC. I will say that the Delta gate lady did a good job keeping everyone informed with announcements every 10-15 minutes. The one thing I didn't care for (and I didn't even have to use) was that if you were going to miss your connecting flight you had to walk to a central Delta desk, wait in a long line to have someone help you. Most airlines have the gate agent do that and it is a lot more convenient since the line isn't so big and the gate agent is usually just sitting there doing nothing otherwise. I had plenty of time scheduled in my layover at LaGuardia that I was fine for my connecting flight - or so I thought. When we finally boarded the plane the captain came out in person to say that we would most likely have to wait 2 hours (on the runway) but that he would try to work with the airport to shorten that time. In the end we waited 30 minutes on the runway and then took off. When we landed in LaGuardia it was a mad-house. There were hundreds of stranded passengers all over the place (the lines at the Delta Help Desk were astounding.) Again Delta should have used their gate agents to help in the backlog. Unlike when I was going to CO and only had to walk one gate over this time I had to go from Terminal D to Terminal C and because of the delay had to run through the airport and all the people. This time it really felt like a "Third World Country Airport." I made it to the gate just in time to board my final flight (which was a good thing because I later learned that the other flight I could have taken was cancelled and the last flight to my final airport was delayed by hours. Since it was a small airplane there was only one flight attendant and he was pretty creepy. He looked and acted like he drove a windowless van and tried to lull children with candy. Plus he kept walking up and down the aisle and stare at each passenger (and he wasn't even giving out drinks or food. We hit some turbulence and a woman started screaming uncontrollably (even after the turbulence was over.) That was pretty annoying. We landed on-time and I had no issue getting my bag (it was the second one off.) The true "fun" came when I left the airport parking garage and was driving home. It was raining so heavily and was pitch-black that I had a hard time seeing. I had planned to stop and get something to eat  - considering that I didn't have anything to eat or drink for 17 hours, but since I was so tired and didn't know if the weather would get even worse than it already was I just drove straight home. I picked up my mail at my mailbox (of course there's a package slip so I have to go to the Post Office later to get them) and then I got home. My dogs were overly excited to see me and other than them leaving some "surprises" for me around the house everything was fine.

 

All-in-all my trip to and from Colorado was much more pleasant then when I went last June. Delta was much better than US Airways/American and even LaGuardia was better than the Dallas Airport.

 

On The Go!

I will be on vacation and will write when I come back.

Airline Austism

From Disability Scoop:
"Airlines Encouraged To Better Serve Flyers With Disabilities"

 

A new guide from the U.S. Department of Transportation is spelling out the rules air carriers must follow when dealing with travelers who have autism and other developmental disabilities. The federal agency sent guidance to airlines this summer detailing their responsibilities under the Air Carrier Access Act. Developed in coordination with The Arc and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the documentation does not lay out any new requirements, but clarifies existing rules for airlines and travelers, the agency said. “Recent incidents highlight the need for a guidance document focusing on developmental disabilities, to assist individuals on the autism spectrum and individuals with other developmental disabilities know their rights,” the Department of Transportation said in a statement to Disability Scoop. Earlier this year, a 15-year-old with autism and her family were kicked off of a United Airlines flight after the teen’s mother sought a hot meal to calm the girl mid-flight. The incident, which garnered national attention, prompted the Autistic Self Advocacy Network to request clarification from the Transportation Department on the responsibilities of airlines when serving passengers with autism and other disabilities. Under federal rules, airlines can deny boarding or remove a passenger with a disability from a flight if they believe the individual “poses a significant risk to the health or safety of others” that cannot be addressed by modifying typical policies or procedures. However, such action cannot be taken based on an assumed risk associated with a person’s diagnosis, the Transportation Department said. For example, the document indicates that a person with a disability could be removed from a flight if they repeatedly kick the seat in front of them unless the behavior could be accommodated by moving the passenger to a different seat where kicking would not affect others on the plane. If a person is denied access to a scheduled flight due to their disability, airlines must provide a written explanation within 10 days, the Transportation Department said. The guidance directs airlines to consider a person’s disability when communicating with passengers. It also offers air carriers information about developmental disabilities and gives examples of common behaviors and communication challenges that individuals may exhibit. Travelers with disabilities are encouraged to contact airlines in advance of their scheduled flight to discuss their anticipated needs while at the airport and in flight.

^ The Federal Government should make and give guidelines to everyone (schools, hospitals, public transportation, restaurants, small businesses, big businesses. local, state and Federal government agencies, etc) on what each place is required by law to do  for different disabilities. I know there are dozens of disabilities and every person/disability is different, but it is 25 years since the ADA was passed and the majority of people and businesses still don't know or understand what they have to do - by law. Of course it would be great for people and businesses to just treat the disabled as everyone else regardless of if there is a law or not, but that hasn't happened so far. ^

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/08/31/airlines-flyers-disabilities/20755/

Gulag Plagues

From the MT:
"Plaques Commemorating Gulag Victims Popping Up Around Moscow"

At least seven plaques commemorating Russian citizens sent to gulag forced labor camps under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin have been placed on the Moscow buildings where they last resided before being apprehended by Soviet secret police, the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported Sunday.  The palm-sized plaques have been installed as part of a memorial project known as “Last Address,” and feature the names, occupations, dates of birth and death of the gulag victims, as well as the year they had their names cleared of all charges, or were “rehabilitated,” Novaya Gazeta reported.

An online crowdfunding campaign raised more than 1.5 million rubles ($22,300) in December to have the plaques installed on the former homes of Stalin's victims, and many of the plaques have been requested by surviving family members who remember where the victims were living when they were seized.  The Last Address project is not affiliated with the Russian government, Maxim Kats, a Moscow city councilman said when the project was launched in December. “Thank God they didn't interfere,” he said at the time.  While human rights groups such as the Memorial Human Rights Society — which maintains the database of victims that Last Address is using for the project — continue to draw attention to Stalin's repressions, the Soviet dictator is enjoying renewed popularity in Russia under President Vladimir Putin.  Results of a survey conducted by the independent Levada Center in December showed that over half of Russians believe Stalin played a positive role in Russian history.     The plaques have so far been placed at Sivtsev Vrazhek 21, a residential building in central Moscow, near the Arbatskaya metro station. Two buildings on the same street have also received memorial plaques. Last Address has also installed a plaque on a building at Bolshoi Afanasyevsky Pereulok 33, and two plaques at Ulitsa Palikha 1/13.

^ These plagues need to go up all over Russia, the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to remember the innocent men, women and children that were imprisoned, deported and/or murdered by the Communists from 1917-1991. The number of victims of these Communist repressions are well into the millions upon millions of people and so the average person today can not comprehend that each name was an actual person with a family. These plagues put a face and a story behind each name the same way the "stepping stones" plagues are doing for Holocaust victims throughout Europe. There is no reason why people nowadays should have any love for Stalin or the other Communists that carried out the murderous acts. Even the Soviet Communists themselves disclosed Stalin's immense guilt in these acts back in 1956 and even more has come out since the USSR collapsed in 1991. Anyone who worships Stalin or the other Communist dictatorships clearly doesn't have a grasp on reality and has more issues then just love for a mass-murderer. Russia, like every country in the world, needs to fully admit the mistakes of their past and work to make sure the "wrongs" are made public so they won't be repeated. The horrendous acts committed by the repressive Communists should not be honored, but should be made as an example of what should never be allowed to happen ever again. It's unfortunate that Russia is going through tough times today (brought on mostly by their annexation of the Crimea and supporting the ethnic Russian terrorists in eastern Ukraine) and with that economic and political decline has come an official and unofficial love for anything Soviet. History is being rewritten so that people can feel good about themselves and not think too much about their current situation rather than for accuracy. It is made easier by the fact that many of the people who helped lie during Soviet times still have immense power in modern Russia. People who live in a bubble tend to believe everything they are told - even when the original bubble was bust 15 years ago and the full truth was made known back then. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/plaques-commemorating-gulag-victims-popping-up-around-moscow/529143.html

Short Coalition

From G & M:

"Anti-Islamic State coalition falling short, Harper says"

 

Canadian soldiers fighting in the skies over Iraq and Syria may soon find out how much longer the federal Conservatives think they’ll need to be there, the party’s leader said Monday. At an election rally, Stephen Harper said he intends in the coming days to discuss Canada’s contribution to the international coalition fighting Islamic militants in those countries, but suggested the fight is far from over.  “The intervention has had the effect of largely stopping the advance of ISIS, particularly in the north of Iraq and to some degree in other parts of Iraq and Syria — not maybe as much we’d like,” he said. It’s been a year since the plight of thousands of Yazidis trapped on a mountaintop by Islamic State of Iraq and Levant fighters moved the U.S. to start pulling together countries for an air war designed to stop ISIL from taking over more land in Iraq. Canada joined the fight in October 2014 for an initial six-month mission, which was expanded this March for up to a year. Canadian fighters are now also bombing ISIL positions in Syria. Things have improved, Harper told the rally. “A year ago, they were literally on the verge of sweeping over the entire region, so at least that has been halted.” Canada has six CF-18s, an aerial refueller, two surveillance planes and about 600 personnel involved in the air war, as well as 69 special forces training Kurdish fighters. In recent days, according to the Defence Department website, Canadians bombed an ISIL ammunition cache and boats used to transport ammunition, as well as ISIL fighting positions. Canadians have also been accused of killing civilians during a bombing run in January though a U.S.-led investigation found no substance to those allegations. U.S. military information suggests that as of April, ISIL maintained control of about 70 per cent of the space in Iraq it had a year ago, while its influence in Syria remains largely unchanged.

Harper called radical fighters taking over what he called “ungoverned” parts of the world a growing phenomenon. “To protect our country, we are going to have to have a long and sustained strategy with our international partners,” he said.

 

^ More needs to be done by every country to counter IS. Air strikes have done a little to stop the terrorists, but nothing much has changed on the ground in Iraq and Syria occupied by IS. While we can't simply stop and leave Iraq and Syria alone - since then IS would gain even more land and power and would then focus their attention outside of the Middle East - our current mission needs to be changed so that we aren't just stopping IS' advance, but repelling them from the places they currently occupy. ^

 

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/anti-islamic-state-coalition-falling-short-harper-says/article26164222/

 

Great Escaper Passes

From the BBC:

"Australian 'Great Escape' survivor dies, aged 101"

 

One of the last survivors of World War Two's most famous prison break, known as the Great Escape, has died aged 101. Australian Paul Royle was one of 76 airmen who escaped from notorious Nazi Stalag Luft III camp in Nazi Germany in 1944. Their courageous feat was immortalised in the 1963 film The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen. Mr Royle died in a Perth hospital on Sunday after surgery for a fractured hip, local media reported on Friday. His son, Gordon Royle, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp his father lived his life to the fullest, but it was a fall that killed him. A memorial service will be held for Mr Royle in Perth on Wednesday. Seventy-one years ago, the men escaped from the Nazi camp through a secret tunnel.

 

The Great Escape

• Stalag Luft III opened in spring 1942, and held air forces personnel only.
• At maximum it held 10,000 PoWs, covered 59 acres, with five miles (8km) of perimeter fencing.
• The first successful escape, the "Wooden Horse" escape, took place on the night of 29 October 1943.
• The "Great Escape" happened on the night of 24 and early hours of 25 March in 1944.
• Of three tunnels prisoners began digging, only one, "Harry", was completed. It was 102m (336ft) long and 8.5m deep.

 

Interviewed last year about his wartime experiences, Mr Royle said he had vivid memories of escaping into a snow-covered pine forest. "It was very pleasant and all we saw was great heaps of snow and pine trees. There was snow everywhere, it was cold," he said. With another escapee, he walked through the night and hid in bushes but they were soon recaptured by the Nazis. Only three of the men who escaped reached safety. Of the 73 recaptured, 50 were shot.

 

^ Everyday we loose veterans who fought in World War 2. They have been called the "Greatest Generation" for what they went through during the Great Depression, World War 2 and the Cold War. Not only was Paul Royle part of that generation, but he was also part of a historical escape from a German POW camp. I think everyone has seen the 1960s film "The Great Escape" that shows what he and other soldiers did and also how the Germans murdered many of those they captured - breaking international law. It takes a lot for someone to escape into occupied, enemy territory (especially if they don't know the language or have any outside help) and the men who escaped from the Stalag Luft camp embody the courage and spirit that the men and women of the Allied forces had to have to stop the horrors imposed on the world by Germany and Japan. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34082333