#philippines america maneuver

[pannaginip]

Philippine Star (Opinion): 'Not war with China; don’t rely only on US’ – Marcos Jr.

Reacting to recent reports on China’s pugnacious maneuvers and verbal statements, Marcos Jr. said, “We must do a more robust defense of our territorial rights as recognized by the international community and international law.”

But he quickly added that war with China is “precisely what we want to avoid.”

Regarding the United States’ repeated assurance of defense support, Marcos Jr. claimed that the US was” very supportive” of the Philippines and was “very seriously” taking the Mutual Defense Treaty.

Note that the treaty has never been invoked in any instance, or threat, of armed conflict by either party since its signing in 1951. Essentially it provides that in the event of an armed attack against one of the parties, the other party is obligated to come to its defense.

Marcos Jr. said that he was doing everything to avoid invoking the MDT over the increasing number of incidents involving dangerous maneuvers by Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels within Philippine waters. They have been harassing small boats delivering food supplies and other necessities to Philippine Marines manning an old naval ship, purposely grounded in the Ayungin Shoal to serve as maritime post in our territory.

Most significant to note was that he seemed wary about relying exclusively on America’s support.

Marcos Jr. also responded to warnings by critics of dangerous implications of his having added, in April 2023, four more of the country’s military bases as sites for the US to install military “facilities” and stockpile war materiel exclusively for their use, as allowed by the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA.

He assured the public that these bases, along with the first five bases strategically located across the country previously approved by his predecessor, would not be used to launch offensive actions against China.

The EDCA is not a treaty. It is an executive agreement, initiated by the US, between the Philippine and US governments, signed in 2014 under the Benigno Aquino III administration. The US military facilities installed within the selected Philippine bases are absolutely controlled by the American military and are off-limits to Filipinos, military or civilian. (Top Philippine defense and military leaders, however, may be allowed inside.)

Because the EDCA sites are practically US military bases within Philippine bases, they could indeed be targets of attacks by enemies of the US – especially now that missile warfare is increasingly being utilized by belligerent parties.

2024 Mar. 23

[nablah]

thinking of E;DSA and Fuenteovejuna (and this is why I’m so inactive i always get depressed about this)

Fuenteovejuna was written by Lope de Vega during the Spanish Golden Age, paid for by the colonization efforts in South East Asia and South America, most relevantly to my thoughts is of course, the Philippine Islands. Of course he benefitted from the influx of riches that the Spanish rulers extracted from our land. At the same time, his work on Fuenteovejuna bears remarkable similarities to the E,DSA Revolution in 1986, 400 odd years after his death. In the town of Fuenteovejuna, the townspeople are simple, governed by the Commander Fernán Gómez de Guzmán, who, basically rules unfairly, enriching himself financially, raping and harassing the women, and killing and torturing to establish his dominance. The story revolves around a central couple, and the woman is raped before her wedding and the man is carted off on grounds of talking back (yeah). Seeking revenge, she calls the townspeople out and is the catalyst for a revolution, where they kill the commander. When royal investigators arrive and, under pain of torture, attempt to extract the Commander’s murderer, all the townspeople answer that “Fuenteovejuna did it” in retort. The investigation stops. (You know, almost all the revolutionary ideas of Spain and France were copied here, they just never went well because of imperialistic forces and corruption. I also have many feelings about Le Nozze di Figaro and Seville’s role as the colonizing arm but thats for another day).

Anyway, the setting and reaction of the townspeople is similar to the Pe.ople Power/ E.DSA revolution of 1986 against the Marc//oses (+ their cronies). I don’t mean just the theme of revolution and coup d’etat, I mean even the language used to describe the Commander and the rallying force behind E.DSA (if you claim it was C/ory, :/ read up a bit more. She was at most a small catalyst) is very E.DSA. I feel it painfully that a colonizer (whether or not complicit in colonization himself) was able to warn those in power then and then and now. With the past year under diktajuniooor, it has just been all the more disappointing. I feel stuck, don’t you?? I feel like we are playing out Fuenteovejuna every century and the only blood spilt is ours and not the Commander’s. I feel like we reset the stage for a new Commander every time we kill the old. Everytime we get rid of one, the King and Queen of Spain, our dear colonial masters, maneuver a new one. We are still the fucking sheep led to water, we are still the sheep led to slaughter. 

But it’s a cycle. I guess that demands some form of repetition.

anyway., of course, Never Forget, Never Again. for all the good that does for us 🙄

[mariacallous]

The election of Lai Ching-te as Taiwan’s president will reawaken old debates about “strategic ambiguity.” The Biden administration has stuck with its approach of keeping vague any scenarios for intervention in a conflict with China over the island. Advocates say this enigmatic ploy keeps Beijing and Taipei on their toes, deterring the former while ensuring the latter does not act rashly. Critics suggest that “strategic clarity,” meaning spelling out when the United States might act, would do more to deter Beijing. President Joe Biden himself has spread confusion, promising in public that the U.S would intervene to support Taiwan and leaving his officials scrambling to explain that official policy has not changed.

This question of ambiguity then brings into focus a wider challenge over the nature of U.S. security guarantees in an era of rising geopolitical friction. Washington’s alliance network—it has more than 50 formal such relationships—is a formidable asset in its tussle with China. It has a number of quasi-allies, too, such as Taiwan, as well as close partners, like India, Singapore, and Vietnam. All of these come with commitments, either explicit or implied.

Yet Washington’s credibility to deliver on them is under growing pressure in the eyes of adversaries and allies alike. It is likely to have to demonstrate its capabilities more often—in effect making its guarantees less ambiguous—putting further strain on an already overstretched U.S. military.

The fact that the United States risks overstretch should be clear from recent developments. Biden brims with confidence about Washington’s ability to meet its global obligations. But the combination of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East raises obvious questions about distraction and stretched resources. Recent attempts to calm relations with China speak to a strong desire to ensure Asian calm, especially in a U.S. election year.

Examples of anxious Asian allies are not hard to find. The Philippines is one. Manila has tangled of late with China in the South China Sea. Beijing has tried to block missions to resupply a rusting World War II-era ship in Second Thomas Shoal, which Manila grounded to mark its territory in 1999. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has asked the United States to give guarantees that attempts by China to retake the shoal would trigger U.S. alliance commitments, which Washington has duly done. In recent weeks, the United States deployed a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, to sail with the Philippine Navy.

South Korea is another case, given fretting in Seoul about threats from the north. Not long ago, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol mused that Seoul might need to develop a nuclear deterrent, a signal of unhappiness about Washington’s nuclear umbrella. Last April, the United States and South Korea signed the Washington Declaration, a pact that, among other things, promised to strengthen and make more explicit U.S. extended deterrence commitments. The deal involves the United States sending a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in a generation, along with nuclear-capable bombers.

The fact that the United States often has to demonstrate capabilities—and thus reassure allies by actions, not promises—is not exactly new. Under President Barack Obama, the United States grappled with how to respond to China’s campaign of artificial island-building in the South China Sea. This followed a tense standoff between China and the Philippines after Beijing seized Scarborough Shoal in 2012. Sensing that its credibility was under threat, Obama’s administration began freedom of navigation operations, sailing military vessels close to disputed maritime features, simply to prove that it could. These maneuvers are now a core part of U.S. strategy to reassure the region. Two were conducted by the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet last November, for example, in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, respectively.

Yet three factors suggest the United States will now need to demonstrate similar capabilities more often, the first being a deteriorating global and regional military balance. In the decades after the Cold War, Washington enjoyed undeniable military superiority, and thus rarely had to show it off. Now in Asia, it must contend with China’s vast military buildup. This is especially so in the maritime domain, where China now boasts a substantially larger navy as measured by number of vessels.

The second factor reflects a change in U.S. strategy. Biden’s team talks a lot about “allies and partners.” This often means asking close allies, such as Australia and Japan, to do more to contribute to collective deterrence and security. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan recently wrote about developing a “self-reinforcing latticework of cooperation,” in which U.S. friends cooperate more with one another, as well as with Washington.

The nature of U.S. security ties in the Indo-Pacific is therefore changing. Rather than following a NATO-like approach, U.S. links in Asia were set up with a “hub and spoke” model. These narrow bilateral agreements were originally designed in part to constrain pro-Western but potentially trigger-happy autocrats in countries like the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan. Today, to cope with China, the United States is being forced to create a more collective model of security, interspersed with new mini-laterial groupings, such as AUKUS and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. The more important all of these relationships become, the more incentive China also has to test what the United States is willing to do to support those within them, in addition to its formal alliances.

The third factor is perhaps the most obvious: Donald Trump. This year will be one of rising anxiety in Asia about U.S. credibility, given the prospect of the former president’s return. Many in Asia were supportive of Trump’s tough approach to China. But they also remember his combative approach to allies, too. Viewed from Manila, Seoul, and Tokyo, the year ahead will raise all kinds of doubts about whether existing U.S. commitments will still stand if he retakes office. They will want less ambiguity, and more clarity, as a result.

All of this requires a tricky balancing act. Making ambiguous commitments more explicit is no panacea. On Taiwan, Biden’s team shows no signs of being persuaded that “strategic clarity” is wise. Both ambiguity and clarity can create perverse incentives. An ambiguous policy can push China to test to see what the red lines underneath really are. More explicit guarantees might even reduce deterrence, as former White House official Ivan Kanapathy has noted, as such guarantees can give China something to aim at, too. The “conditionalities in such a declaration, by circumscribing geographic and political limits, would invite China to exploit those very seams, challenging U.S. credibility,” he wrote in Foreign Policy in 2022.

Either way, a world in which allies want the United States to show, not tell, implies greater demands on an already stretched military. This suggests two broad options for Washington. One is to focus resources, in effect offering fewer guarantees to fewer people, and thus bolstering the credibility of those that remain. Historian Paul Kennedy recently predicted this path in an essay reflecting on the 35th anniversary of the publication of his book The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. “The American security blanket will be tighter, smaller, limited to those well-known places such as NATO-Europe, Japan, Australia, Israel, Korea, maybe Taiwan, and not much else,” he wrote in the New Statesman.

Perhaps. But so far Biden, at least, shows few signs of dialing back commitments. Quite the opposite, in fact. This leaves a second path, namely spending more on defense and demonstrating the results of that investment more often. Biden recently signed a new $886 billion military budget. Yet even this seemingly massive figure is much lower as a proportion of national income than during the last period of geopolitical rivalry during the Cold War. “The way in which the United States has conceived itself in terms of national security is no longer viable,” former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers told Bloomberg TV recently. “We are going to have to invest substantially more in all aspects of national security.”

The obvious risk is that the United States ducks this hard choice, neither paring back its commitments nor spending enough to meet them. That might work for a while. But Washington will still find itself under pressure to do more to reassure anxious allies concerned about overstretch, waning collective security, and political instability at home. Self-evidently, the United States cannot meet its obligations to 50 allies at once, much in the same way that a bank cannot return all its deposits in one go. Its ability to do so depends crucially on ensuring sufficient confidence to avoid the geopolitical equivalent of a bank run. That prospect is remote for now. But it would be still better to avoid even a hint of ambiguity about Washington’s determination to avoid it in the future.

[summarychannel]

Urgent | America reveals a sudden concentration of the Chinese army near Taiwan and the disappearance of the Chinese Minister of Defense

Updates on Chinese affairs presented in this episode of Samri Channel . Starting with Chinese social media, which monitored intense military movements from the Chinese Defense Army towards the port of Fuzhou, near the island of Taiwan, which raised speculation about the imminent occurrence of a military operation by Beijing against the disputed island with the United States of America. The Chinese moves are considered a new episode in the policy pursued by Beijing towards Taiwan since the summer of last year, coinciding with Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the latter. The Chinese Defense Forces maintained continuous maneuvers around Taiwan while breaching the supposed territorial line that divides the border between the Chinese mainland and the island.

On the other hand, China published a new map of its maritime borders in the South China Sea, which considered the economic zones of the countries of Vietnam, India, the Philippines and others to be the exclusive property of Beijing, which prompted these countries to strongly object to Chinese policy, while the Philippines specifically placed barriers from landing craft. The old American position within the shallow water areas as a border against Chinese movements in the economic waters of Manila.

In Vietnam, US President Joe Biden made a historic visit to Hanoi during which he concluded a historic agreement for strategic cooperation between the two countries, in a move that observers considered an attempt by Biden to block Chinese expansion in the South China Sea.

Finally, Bloomberg Agency said that Chinese Defense Minister Li Chengfu had disappeared from public appearance for two consecutive weeks, and American sources who spoke to the British Financial Times speculated that Fu was being detained by the Chinese Communist Party to be tried on corruption charges, while other sources said that the friendly handshake he gave The Chinese Defense Minister with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, weeks ago sparked the anger of fanatical nationalists within the Chinese Communist Party.

#America #China #Taiwan

Will the war between China and Taiwan be resolved in light of America’s intervention next year 2024? Where did the Chinese Defense Minister disappear and why? Here is what we will find out in the episode “The Disappearance of the Chinese Army” from the Summary Channel. Watch to know the story from the beginning

[electronalytics]

Vehicle Cameras Market Challenges, Analysis and Forecast to 2023-2032

Vehicle cameras, also known as car cameras or dash cams, are compact video recording devices designed for installation in vehicles. These cameras capture video footage of the road ahead or the surroundings of the vehicle, providing various benefits and functionalities.

The vehicle cameras market refers to the industry that deals with the production, sales, and use of cameras specifically designed for installation in vehicles. These cameras are used for various purposes, such as enhancing driver safety, improving the overall driving experience, providing evidence in case of accidents or theft, and assisting in parking and maneuvering.

Technology Advancements:

Resolution: Vehicle cameras have evolved from standard definition to high-definition (HD) and even 4K resolution, providing clearer and more detailed video footage.

Night Vision: Many cameras now come with enhanced low-light or infrared capabilities, enabling them to capture clear footage during nighttime or low-light conditions.

GPS and Speed Tracking: Some advanced vehicle cameras feature built-in GPS and speed tracking, overlaying location and speed data onto the recorded video.

 Connectivity: Many modern vehicle cameras offer Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity, allowing users to transfer or access video files wirelessly and remotely control the camera settings.

 Intelligent Features: Some cameras incorporate advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features such as lane departure warning, forward collision warning, and traffic sign recognition.

Legal Considerations: The use of vehicle cameras is subject to regulations that vary by jurisdiction. It's important to familiarize yourself with the laws in your region regarding privacy, recording consent, and windshield obstruction.

Vehicle cameras have gained popularity due to their practicality, safety benefits, and potential cost savings. They offer drivers an added sense of security, help improve driving behavior, and provide valuable evidence in case of incidents or accidents on the road.

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[imaginepirates]

The Lady Washington

This weekend, I went for a sail on the Lady Washington, aka the Interceptor from Pirates of the Caribbean. I had a great time, learned a lot, and made many observations of my own. Below are my learnings, observations, and pictures from the sail.

1. The Sails

The first thing I noticed as we approached the ship were her sails. She flew 4, but I only remember what 3 of them are. As the state tall ship of Washington State (west coast of America), she flew both the American and Washington state flags. More interesting, though, was her pride flag. I was surprised, given that it's past pride month, and many people/businesses take down their flags after the end of the month because they're really just used for advertising and fake inclusion. Not so with this ship. (Mrs. Norrington, if you ever read this, your husband's ship openly supports gay rights.)

2. The Crew

The first thing both my mother and I noticed upon boarding was the crew. Most of them were women. (I don't have pictures because it seems intrusive). This came as a bit of a surprise to both of us; these were young women, too, in their early to mid 20s. The captain, first mate, and events coordinator were all female or female presenting, along with the majority of the volunteer crew. Many of them had nautical themed tattoos, though my favorites were the Lord of the Rings tats one sailor sported (we geeked out over them together, it was cute). They were also mostly noticeably queer. That explained the pride flag better. Apparently, it's quite common that on these older models of ships, the crew is mostly, if not entirely, female.

3. Interactive!

That's me! I know I have little on here about myself, but now you know how I look. I was wearing a Jack Sparrow shirt, too, because I went prepared.

I went on what they call an "Adventure Sail" where they let you handle some of the ropes. There are two pictures of me here where I'm hoisting the fore staysail. It's actually not as hard as you think, though I did have to put my bodyweight into it. I wasn't allowed to climb the rigging, but I noticed that the crew had safety harnesses and clips for when they were out on the masts. The ropes really hurt your hands, though, and now I understand why sailors got blisters so easily. That rope burn sucks. In any case, I was so enthusiastic, they offered me a two week volunteering position! I'm looking into it for next summer, because if you think I'm not going to work on the honest-to-god Interceptor, you're wrong. Which brings me to:

4. Volunteering.

They have 2 week volunteering positions for a season of, right now, six months. This runs from spring until autumn, as they do ship repairs in winter. It sounds like they sail the full coast of Washington over the six month span. You live on the ship, sleeping in a room that can house up to 10 people, though I don't think it ever gets that full. There's also a cook, so you don't have to worry about food. Volunteers are allowed to work all parts of the ship, including climbing the rigging, though they don't have to if they don't want.

5. The History

The Lady Washington is a re-build of her original. The original ship (brig) served in the American revolutionary war, and was used as a shipping vessel afterwards. She was the first American ship to go around the tip of Cape Horn, and also the first American ship to land on the west coast. She opened the trans Atlantic trade as the first American ship in Japan, Honolulu, and Hong Kong. Also, according to the site: "Lady Washington opened the black pearl and sandalwood trade between Hawaii and Asia". Interesting that she began the black pearl trade, isn't it? She was eventually lost in the Philippines.

The replica was made in 1989 and launched as part of the Washington State Centennial celebration. Her current model is almost an exact replica of the original, save for the more modern fittings in her hull to make living on ship easier (they have a generator). She also has an engine to make her easier to maneuver in and out of harbor. Currently, she's a teaching vessel meant to educate people on the lives of sailors and trade. She has been in multiple films and TV shows, including our dear PoTC, Star Trek: Generations, and Once Upon A Time.

6. Little Observations

I made lots of little observations about the sailors and the sail in general. One thing was made very obvious: every time you were given an order, you were to repeat it back aloud. This both fixes any confusion about orders, and lets the rest of the crew know what was going on. There were many instances where the captain gave orders only one person could hear, though the order was meant for "all hands available".

Another thing was how they got lines taut. They did this maneuver where they had two people on major ropes when trying to secure them. This is hard to explain without a visual, but I'll try. Basically, they would have the rope wrapped under the bottom of a belaying pin, and one person would lean into the rope before quickly pulling back into a squat and letting their bodyweight pull the line taut. The other person would then secure the rope to the belaying pin.

Speaking of belaying pins, they're just that: pins. I didn't realize that you can really just....pull one out of the little hole it goes in. They're fairly loose until a rope is secured around them. The ropes, depending on size and what they were supporting, were sometimes wrapped around multiple pins. Many ropes were wrapped in a sort of figure-eight pattern. For those of us who write, it's absolutely possible for a character to use a belaying pin as a weapon. That being said, they're a little smaller than you think, and it would take a bit more force to knock someone over the head with than you would imagine. They aren't a bat, they don't have that range. Otherwise, solid weapon if you put some strength behind it. (You can see them for size in the pictures of me above. Keep in mind I’m about 5′9″.)

Ropes on a ship are a major tripping hazard. There are six miles of rigging on the Lady Washington, so the air above your head is a frickin maze. Every rope that touches the ground gets coiled. Every one. It doesn't matter if there's only three feet of it touching the deck: it gets coiled. There are all sorts of coiling methods, though I didn't quite pick up on names, except for the Flemish coil pictured below. It really isn't practical, except when you have completely loose ropes or huge strands of rope touching the ground.

[fatehbaz]

It was done on purpose. They knew.

Ecological degradation is a weapon.

So, this:

Was in response to this:

And I wanted to respond without derailing the original post:

You’re right. But also. What Holleman was kinda trying to do with this research, and what I also believe is true, is that US institutions, corporations, etc., absolutely knew that Indigenous people maintained the best and most time-tested environmental knowledge of North America, but settler-colonial institutions were deliberately choosing to ignore it.

On purpose. Ignoring Indigenous knowledge, purposefully. Ignoring their own settler-colonial reformists and scientists, purposefully. Certain US agencies and institutions, and their proxies or satellites, clearly knew that ecological crisis was coming, and not only did they passively ignore solutions, they actively worked to make ecological crisis worse.

That’s why Holleman says this [in an October 2016 interview]: ”Contemporary Dust Bowl literature […] frames the disaster […] narrowly as a […] natural event, void of social content. […] Prevailing perspectives therefore make invisible the colonial and racial-domination aspects of the [ecological] crisis and lead to the whitewashing of Dust Bowl narratives,“

And from her 2017 article: “By the 1930s there was a well-established body of scholarly literature, government reports, conference proceedings and periodical articles discussing the growing problem of soil erosion across the colonial world. These sources not only provide documentation of the scale of the issue in the absence of consistent data, they also show how this phenomenon was understood by many at the time as linked to white territorial and resource acquisition.”

They knew what they were doing.

What I mean by that is: Another of Holleman’s proposals is that the Dust Bowl was basically a manifestation of the US’s maneuver to, I guess you could say, “outsource its approach to Indigenous people,” by using environmental degradation and ecological crisis as a weapon. A weapon not just against Indigenous people of Turtle Island, but also on a global scale against other regions, and a weapon against its own poor white communities, too. As if the US institutions saw how effectively ecological damage had neutralized many Indigenous communities’ ability to resist, and the US was like “nice, now let’s do it to everybody.”

The time period that Holleman is focusing on is 1870 to 1930-ish, corressponding with the US military campaigns against Indigenous peoples of the 1870s and 1880s, culminating in the “end” of the “war” around 1891 (that’s the date claimed in US settler history books). So after imposing this kind of resource extraction and “removing” Indigenous peoples in “the Wild West” of the 1880s, it’s no coincidence that the US then almost immediately entered “the Gilded Age” and engaged in the Spanish-American War (1898), during which it took control of Cuba, Philippines, etc., effectively outsourcing its industrial agriculture and forcing it on new communities in the tropics and especially in Latin America. And it’s also no coincidence that the end of this period, around World War 2, saw the ascension of the US as global superpower. So the tactics that the US used in that time period, the tactics that created the Dust Bowl, are still used by the US today, on a global scale.

Purposefully ignoring Indigenous environmental knowledge was/is profitable, at least in the short-term. Through monoculture crops, devegetation and timber exctraction, expansive cattle rangeland, etc. Those extraction corporations definitely know that resources are finite. They can cash-in quickly, and bail-out later.

Ignoring Indigenous knowledge of North American landscapes provided, like, some bonus advantages for the settlers, especially during the 1870-1930 time period in discussion. US institutions could (1) make a bunch of money off of industrial-scale resource extraction; (2) they could simultaneously dispossess Indigenous peoples and weaken their communities, thereby eliminating a threat to US cultural hegemony; and (3) when soil degradation and devegetation would ultimately lead to economic collapse even of white settler communities, then unions and working class types living in those regions would also be harmed, thereby neutralizing another threat to US corporate power and allowing further consolidation of US imperial control.

Like feudalism: Hit a rural community with environmental damage. Now they don’t grow food. Next, they’re bankrupt. Debt and bankruptcy anchor people to a single place. Then they’re forced to Participate in the Game and Follow The Rules. They can’t run away from a rental debt; if they try to escape to another side of the country, the banks there still know not to lend to them or give them an account. They’ll get arrested for shoplifting some food. And the result - you could argue, the intended result - is that then people are, essentially, “too poor to get involved in reform, organizing, agitation, and radicalism.”

Holleman, also from the 2017 article: “Globalizing the ecological rift involved the racialized division of nature and labor on a planetary scale as a precondition for the development of the first global agricultural market and food regime. All of this shaped farming practices worldwide, including on the US Southern Plains, as areas were subject to an intensifying ecological imperialism and brought into the global market under conditions of unequal ecological exchange.”

In other words, the 1930s Dust Bowl was a local manifestation of the kind of ecological crisis that Euro-American imperial powers were provoking worldwide - in the African Sahel, in the savanna of Brazil, in the palm plantations of Central America, in the sugar cane fields of Philippines - in order to expand monoculture and industrial-scale resource extraction, and in order to consolidate power, to force people to participate in their “market.”

They did it on purpose.

[j-r-macready]

U.S. Marines maneuver vehicles onto an LCAC aboard USS New Orleans (LPD 18) in the Philippine Sea. by Official U.S. Navy Page Via Flickr: PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 18, 2021) U.S. Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) maneuver a joint light tactical vehicle onto a landing craft, air cushion for tactical offloads aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) in the Philippine Sea, Aug. 18, 2021. Exercise Noble Union is part of 31st MEU’s Noble Series of exercises which are used to validate or invalidate the Family of Naval Concepts, develop techniques and procedures for the employment of MEU assets in support of sea denial and fleet maneuver, and inform future force design and experimentation efforts. The 31st MEU is operating aboard ships of the America Expeditionary Strike Group in the 7th fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Grace Gerlach) 210818-M-ST547-1054

[judgemark45]

USS America (LHA-6) On maneuvers in the Philippine Sea between the Japanese Navy and the US, where a Ch-47 operated on this ship.

[warsofasoiaf]

This one was a bit lengthy, but you're covering two fronts so I thought it was appropriate. Two things: 1) Could you put it under a cut 2) I got a bit confused with the American civil war and who was fighting for what causes and whatnot. But loved the Pittsburgh battle map, excellent illustration of a combined arms ambush. I wouldn't want to get on your bad side!

Hmm, I thought it had a cut, but I guess it didn’t get preserved. Maybe it got deleted while I was doing formatting. Fixed now.

In Kaiserreich, the 2nd American Civil War always has at least two sides, and it cannot be avoided. There’s the US Federal Government, called “Federals.” There’s the Combined Syndicates of America, under Chairman Jack Reed and following syndicalism, located in the Steel Belt and called Syndies. and the American Union State under the America First Party, a populist movement under Huey Long. Their nicknames are Firsters or Longists. If MacArthur seizes power in the United States, the Pacific States of America will rise up to defend democratic institutions and the separation of powers between the civilian and military sectors. Hawaii and the Philippines go independent as well. Hawaii can be reacquired by the United States, but usually they get gobbled up by Japan.

Each faction also has its own subfactions, particularly for the Syndicalists and the Union State which act in uneasy alliances. The Syndicalists have a trade union faction, a Marxist-Leninist faction under Earl Browder, and a Totalist faction under William Zebulon Foster, both of which can attempt coups against the trade unionists, dissolve them, and rule as a dictator. The American Union State has an oligarchical group of business interests helmed by George Van Horn Moseley called the War Powers Committee (a reference to the Business Plot in American history), and the Silver Legion of America headed by William Dudley Pelley, which in our own history was a minor fascist party within the United States. Pelley’s faction would also include groups like the Klan and similar racist groups. 

Hope that helps provide background info. As I mentioned, Kaiserreich has a lot of lore, some of which stretches my credulity, but I appreciate the effort they go through, especially in transposing historical events into their setting. This sort of blending is something I encourage among aspiring worldbuilders to make their setting come alive, and doing things like taking Pinochet’s coup into the United States and making it MacArthur’s is a great move.

Glad you liked the battle map. I wanted to show just a simple flanking maneuver supported by Japanese artillery bombardment. Given that the Irish took a majority of the casualties among the federal forces in that battle (you can see in the picture that the health of their unit, the green bar, is very low), I picked that as a simple means to heighten the enjoyment of the work as opposed to just having some screenshots. My art skills are poor, but I’m hoping to mock up a book cover for the journalist I mentioned in the final paragraph, detailing her experiences in the war. It’s a shout-out to Hannah Arendt and a slight shout-out to Laura Bow, the old adventure game heroine from Sierra, that’s why I had her write for the Trib.

Thanks for the questions, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[newstfionline]

Headlines

With Washington Deadlocked on Aid, States Face Dire Fiscal Crises (NYT) Alaska chopped resources for public broadcasting. New York City gutted a nascent composting program that could have kept tons of food waste out of landfills. New Jersey postponed property-tax relief payments. Prisoners in Florida will continue to swelter in their cells, because plans to air-condition its prisons are on hold. Many states have already cut planned raises for teachers. And that’s just the start. Across the nation, states and cities have made an array of fiscal maneuvers to stay solvent and are planning more in case Congress can’t agree on a fiscal relief package after the August recess. House Democrats included nearly $1 trillion in state and local aid in the relief bill they passed in May, but the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, has said he doesn’t want to hand out a “blank check” to pay for what he considers fiscal mismanagement, including the enormous public-pension obligations some states have accrued. There has been little movement in that stalemate lately.

As California burns, the winds arrive and the lights go out (AP) New wildfires ravaged bone-dry California during a scorching Labor Day weekend that saw a dramatic airlift of more than 200 people trapped by flames and ended with the state’s largest utility turning off power to 172,000 customers to try to prevent its power lines and other equipment from sparking more fires. California is heading into what traditionally is the teeth of the wildfire season, and already it has set a record with 2 million acres burned this year. The previous record was set just two years ago and included the deadliest wildfire in state history—the Camp Fire that swept through the community of Paradise and killed 85 people. That fire was started by Pacific Gas & Electric power lines. Liability from billions of dollars in claims from that and other fires forced the utility to seek bankruptcy protection. To guard against new wildfires and new liability, PG&E last year began preemptive power shutoffs when conditions are exceptionally dangerous. That’s the situation now in Northern California, where high and dry winds are expected until Wednesday.

Unhealthy eating and the poor (Bloomberg) It’s no secret that the cheapest food in the western world is often the stuff that’s worst for you: fast meals and ultra-processed food, usually loaded with salt, fat and sugar. For the poorest, it’s typically what they can afford, and that’s only grown more acute during the coronavirus pandemic. Unhealthy diets are poised to worsen the obesity problem all over the world, contributing to a “global pandemic in its own right,” the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization said in July. Healthy and nutritious food has already been out of reach for more than 3 billion people. With economies sinking and unemployment at historic highs, millions more will find themselves trying to balance their budgets with the need for vital portions of fresh fruit, vegetables and proteins.

Facial recognition failure (OneZero) A new report from the Government Accountability Office of the federal government found that the Customs and Border Patrol was doing a bad job of alerting the public when facial recognition was being used on them, hiding the clear, legible signs disclosing this and describing how to opt out behind larger signs. It’s also not entirely clear that the enormous investment put into this tech is genuinely useful, as the report also found that of the 16 million passengers arriving in the U.S. through May 2020 that the CBP scanned in airports, they resulted in stopping 7 imposters.

At Least 37 Million People Have Been Displaced by America’s War on Terror (NYT) At least 37 million people have been displaced as a direct result of the wars fought by the United States since Sept. 11, 2001, according to a new report from Brown University’s Costs of War project. That figure exceeds those displaced by conflict since 1900, the authors say, with the exception of World War II. The findings were published on Tuesday, weeks before the United States enters its 20th year of fighting the war on terror, which began with the invasion of Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001; yet, the report says it is the first time the number of people displaced by U.S. military involvement during this period has been calculated. The findings come at a time when the United States and other Western countries have become increasingly opposed to welcoming refugees, as anti-migrant fears bolster favor for closed-border policies. The report accounts for the number of people, mostly civilians, displaced in and from Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, the Philippines, Libya and Syria, where fighting has been the most significant, and says the figure is a conservative estimate—the real number may range from 48 million to 59 million. The calculation does not include the millions of other people who have been displaced in countries with smaller U.S. counterterrorism operations, according to the report, including those in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Niger.

Will the U.K. Crash Out of the EU? (Foreign Policy) U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set a deadline of Oct. 15 for the United Kingdom’s talks with the European Union as the latest round of negotiations gets underway today to determine the post-Brexit EU-U.K. economic relationship, again raising concerns that the United Kingdom could crash out of the bloc without a deal in place. The announcement comes as the British government is working to push legislation through Parliament that would override key parts of last year’s Brexit withdrawal agreement. The Financial Times reported on Sunday that the so-called internal market bill is expected to remove the legal force of the highly contentious Northern Ireland protocol, which observers have long argued is vital to preserving peace and stability in Ireland after Brexit. Economists have consistently warned that the economic impact of a no-deal Brexit could be severe. On Monday, business leaders in Britain doubled-down on those warnings, telling Johnson that securing a Brexit deal was essential for the United Kingdom’s economic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic.

‘We are in the second wave’: Europe on edge as cases spike (NBC News) Cases of the coronavirus are spiking in France, Spain and the United Kingdom even as social distancing restrictions ease, stoking concerns among doctors and policymakers about a “second wave” in countries still reeling from the pandemic’s first wave. France set a new record Friday after health authorities reported 8,975 new cases, far higher than the previous record of 7,578 the country set March 31 at the height of the pandemic. In the U.K., new infections soared to nearly 3,000 in one day—the country’s biggest jump since May. And Spain saw nearly 9,000 cases Thursday. Unlike the pandemic’s punishing first round in the spring, France’s troubling rise in new cases has yet to cause a significant surge in deaths and hospitalizations, a salutary statistic for policymakers who remain determined to press ahead with reopenings of schools and businesses.

Belarus activist resists authorities’ push to leave country (AP) A leading opposition activist in Belarus was held on the border Tuesday after she resisted authorities’ attempt to force her to leave the country. Maria Kolesnikova, a member of the Coordination Council created by the opposition to facilitate talks with longtime leader President Alexander Lukashenko on a transition of power, was detained Monday in the capital, Minsk, along with two other council members. Early Tuesday, they were driven to the Ukrainian border, where the authorities told them to cross into Ukraine. Kolesnikova refused, and remained on the Belarusian side of the border in the custody of the Belarusian authorities. The authorities have applied similar tactics to other opposition figures, seeking to end a month of demonstrations against the re-election of Lukashenko in a vote the protesters see as rigged. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger to Lukashenko, left for Lithuania a day after the Aug. 9 vote, under pressure from the authorities.

Myanmar army deserters confirm atrocities against Rohingya (AP) Two soldiers who deserted from Myanmar’s army have testified on video that they were instructed by commanding officers to “shoot all that you see and that you hear” in villages where minority Rohingya Muslims lived, a human rights group said Tuesday. The comments appear to be the first public confession by soldiers of involvement in army-directed massacres, rape and other crimes against Rohingya in the Buddhist-majority country, and the group Fortify Rights suggested they could provide important evidence for an ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court. More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh since August 2017 to escape what Myanmar’s military called a clearance campaign following an attack by a Rohingya insurgent group in Rakhine state. Myanmar’s government has denied accusations that security forces committed mass rapes and killings and burned thousands of homes.

Australia evacuates journalists from China amid ‘national security’ probe (Reuters) Two Australian foreign correspondents were rushed out of China for their safety with the help of Australian consular officials after being questioned by China’s Ministry of State Security, their employers said on Tuesday. China correspondents for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Australian Financial Review (AFR) sought shelter in Australia’s embassy in Beijing and consulate in Shanghai as diplomats negotiated with Chinese officials to allow them to leave the country, the ABC and the AFR reported. The two journalists—the ABC’s Bill Birtles and the AFR’s Michael Smith—had been banned from leaving China until they answered questions about detained Australian citizen and television anchor Cheng Lei, the media companies reported. Both journalists were told they were “persons of interest” in an investigation into Cheng, a high-profile business anchor on Chinese state television, who was detained by authorities in August, the AFR report said. The president of Australia’s Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Marcus Strom, said the treatment of the Australian journalists by Chinese authorities was “appalling”.

Kiwi expats (BBC) Approximately 50,000 New Zealanders have returned from abroad since the beginning of the year. Behind Ireland alone, New Zealand has the second-highest proportion of its citizens living abroad, with between 600,000 and a million New Zealanders living abroad compared to a population of 5 million people in the country itself. Many are in Australia, where they can work without a visa, but others go to other countries further off for work or school. A University of Auckland sociologist estimated 100,000 could return depending on how long the pandemic lasts

Syria wants more Russian help (Foreign Policy) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he wants to expand his country’s economic and business ties to Russia as a way of bypassing crippling U.S. sanctions during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday. Lavrov hinted that Russia was prepared to come to Assad’s aid, noting during a subsequent press conference that Syria needed international assistance to help rebuild its economy now that Assad is in control of most of the territory he lost during the country’s brutal civil war. The meeting was Lavrov’s first visit to the country since 2012, demonstrating Moscow’s continued interest in Syria after providing Assad with critical military support throughout the civil war.

Jordan resumes regular commercial flights after six-month halt during pandemic (Reuters) Jordan resumed regular international flights on Tuesday after being suspended for nearly six months because of the novel coronavirus epidemic, officials said. They said Queen Alia international airport would initially handle six flights a day before expanding to ensure that airport authorities can enforce strict social distancing and other health rules.

Virus puts new strain on Gaza’s overwhelmed health system (AP) Dr. Ahmed el-Rabii spent years treating Palestinians wounded by Israeli fire during wars and clashes in the Gaza Strip. Now that the coronavirus has reached the blockaded territory, the 37-year-old physician finds himself in the unfamiliar role of patient. El-Rabii is the first Gaza doctor diagnosed with COVID-19 and is among dozens of health-care workers infected during the local outbreak, which was detected late last month. The spread among front-line workers has further strained an already overburdened health-care system. Since 2007, Gaza has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade meant to isolate Hamas, the Islamic militant group that seized control of the territory that year from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. Few people can move in and out of the territory, and Hamas placed anyone returning to Gaza into mandatory quarantine centers for three weeks. Before last month, the handful of Gaza’s coronavirus cases were confined to the isolation facilities. But on Aug. 24, the first cases were detected among the general population, and the numbers have multiplied since.

When will tourists return to Africa? (AP) Africa will lose between $53 billion and $120 billion in contributions to its GDP in 2020 because of the crash in tourism, the World Travel and Tourism Council estimates. Kenya expects at least a 60% drop in tourism revenue this year. South Africa a 75% drop. In South Africa, 1.2 million tourism-related jobs are already impacted, according to its Tourism Business Council. That’s not far off 10% of total jobs in Africa’s most developed economy and the total damage isn’t yet clear. “Devastation,” council CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa said. South Africa’s borders, including virtually all international flights, have been closed for nearly six months and there are no signs of them reopening.

[teamtakeiemi]

191220 Rurouni Kenshin News

The visual posters and release dates for the last two films of “Rurouni Kenshin” are finally revealed!

“Rurouni Kenshin Sai Shusho: The Final” - July 3, 2020, Friday (drawing the ultimate climax)

“Rurouni Kenshin Sai Shusho: The Beginning” - August 7, 2020, Friday (approaching the mystery of the cross)

As you can see on the visual, Sato Takeru is quietly holding a reversed blade sword. ✨

Many are also confused with the titles since they seem to be opposite or inverted. We will find out why when we finally see the two movies. We’re again hoping for an international release. 😊

Follow Rurouni Kenshin’s official instagram and twitter accounts for more information:

✨ https://twitter.com/ruroken_movie

✨ https://www.instagram.com/ruroken_movie/

Official website:

✨ http://wwws.warnerbros.co.jp/rurouni-kenshin2020/

✨ ROUGH ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF MODELPRESS’ ARTICLE: ✨

(With the help of google translate and jisho.org so if there are any mistakes, kindly do tell me. Thank you.)

https://mdpr.jp/cinema/detail/1916251

In 2020, Kenshin will come back again. “Rurouni Kenshin Final Chapter 1: The Final” is about a mysterious weapons merchant who dominates the black market of mainland China. Drawing the battle with the most terrible enemy, Enishi, who sent maneuvers and warships and manipulated the truth with drama and action. This movie has variety of actions and dramas. Himura Kenshin was once feared as a “people-slashing sword man” but changed with a dawn of a new era. He had a peaceful life with a sword that could not kill anyone. Kenshin who fought unprecedented fighting in order to stop the plan of the overthrow of Japan planned by the mad enemy, Shishio Shinji, lived peacefully in Kamiya Dojo. Suddenly, however, someone started a series of attacks in the center of Tokyo. Who is it really? For what? It is related to the mystery of the cross-scratch that has never been revealed, leading to the mystery of the cruciform wound that never disappears. Continue to the approaching “Rurouni Kenshin Final Chapter 2: The Beginning”. This draw through two periods: the late Edo period and the new period after the Meiji Restoration.

The teaser visual revealed a sword with closed eyes, a cross wound on the cheek, and a red kimono with a sword. The visual makes you feel the beginning of the grand story of the final chapter. Kenshin has decided to fight for the future and carrying a fate that cannot be escaped in the face of a mighty enemy. Kenshin, the biggest battle in the series, is aiming for a “future” created by him and his friends. And, when Kenshin’s greatest crisis comes, can Kenshin take a step toward a new era with his friends? “Rurouni Kenshin” has the best climax ever drawn through two works. In this work, which will be the final part of the series, all of “Rurouni Kenshin” will be revealed.

The filming continued for over 7 months until May 2019 and will be completed in 2020. These series of movies is a series that continues to evolve with quality that exceeds the expectations of the audience, with staff members representing Japanese movies paying close attention to details. Aiming for the top of entertainment beyond the frame of live-action of the original manga. The filming has a large-scale location shooting at 43 locations nationwide including Kyoto, Nara, Shiga, Mie, Hyogo, Kumamoto, Hiroshima, Tochigi, Saitama, and Shizuoka. The “Rurouni Kenshin” year is finally in full swing, and the ban on luxury cast information and New Year’s plans are planned, starting with the release date and title.

“Rurouni Kenshin” Movie Series

The “Rurouni Kenshin” series, an action-sounding masterpiece that continues to reign as the pinnacle of entertainment that changed the history of Japanese movies. “Rurouni Kenshin” released on August 25, 2012, “Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno” released on August 1, 2014, “Rurouni Kenshin: The Last Legend” released on September 13, 2014. They earned more than 12.5 billion yen and the audience mobilization exceeded 9.8 million. Powerful ultra-high-speed action that nobody has ever experienced and human drama drawn emotionally enthusiastically not only in Japan, but in more than 100 countries around the world including North America, England, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, etc. It was also distributed at over 50 international film festivals around the world.

Sources and photo credit:

http://wwws.warnerbros.co.jp/rurouni-kenshin2020/

https://twitter.com/ruroken_movie/status/1207676992931405829

https://twitter.com/warnerjp/status/1207677065417437190

https://eiga.com/news/20191220/1

https://mdpr.jp/cinema/detail/1916251

https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/360113

[cincinnatusvirtue]

December 7th:  Attack on Pearl Harbor, America enters WWII

December 7th, 1941, famously referred to by then US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as a “date which will live in infamy” became the rallying cry for America’s official entry into the then two year running Second World War.  Though in the case of Japan, the war had really been raging with its conquest of East Asia and China in particular since 1937 or even 1931 depending on your definition.  Imperial Japan’s attack on the US naval fleet docked at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii really was the culmination of a longstanding rivalry between the two nations over the course of the preceding decades.

In some ways the story dates back to the start of American-Japanese relations when a US fleet under Commodore Matthew C Perry arrived in Japan in 1853 and ending the longstanding period of isolation Japan had followed for centuries under the Tokugawa Shogunate.  This forced open diplomatic and trade relations, which was soon followed up by European powers and brought Japan into the modern era.  Over the next century, Japan saw rapid modernization, with the Meiji Restoration of the Japanese Emperor from ceremonial figurehead to absolute ruler, the true expansion of the new Japanese Empire began after this time period  Rapid social and internal reform combined with gradual imperial expansion.  Japan famously defeated China in the 1894-1895 First Sino-Japanese War, which gave Japan control over Korea in it’s sphere of influence and Japan’s subsequent invasion and occupation of Taiwan.  This was followed by victory over the Russian Empire in 1904-1905s Russo-Japanese War.  However, the peace for this war brokered by then US President Theodore Roosevelt, limited Japanese gains to a few ports and islands, but effective greater political influence in the region.  Japanese nationalists however, saw this as the first US attempt to limit Japan’s influence in the Greater Asia-Pacific region, suspicious that America was clamoring to gain its own influence here.

America for it’s part had indeed expanded into this region with the 1898 annexation of the Republic of Hawaii, which in turn was a largely American sponsored effort to overthrow the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1894.  After 1898 it was the US Territory of Hawaii (statehood of Hawaii occurring in 1959).  American influence in the region further expanded with the 1898 Spanish-American War, which saw the US destroy the last elements of Spain’s longstanding overseas empire, occupying/liberating Cuba and annexing Puerto Rico in the Caribbean.  Also occupying and annexing Guam and most importantly the Philippines in the Pacific.  America would also acquire the island of American Samoa in this period.

These two parallel examples of imperialism and expansion sowed the seeds of conflict that would emerge in World War II.  Both the US and Japan were technically on the same side during the First World War in opposition to the Empire of Germany.  Japan got limited territorial gains from German Pacific islands and German colonies in China.  Japan also pressed during the Treaty of Versailles conference for a clause supporting racial equality, it saw limited support and was ultimately not included.

Japan and the US also sided with other Allied nations in an intervention in the Russian Civil War to end the Communist rise leading to the Soviet Union.  Japan occupied parts of Siberia but due to objections from the US was forced to scale back its occupation and eventually withdrew altogether along with all other Allied nations.

The 1920′s saw Japan enter an economic recession while America was experiencing an economic boom.  Both sides were signatories of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty which saw to limit the navies of the US, Britain, France, Italy and Japan from escalating into an arms race.  Japan would withdraw from this treaty in 1934.

1931 saw both sides come to loggerheads even more with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria (Northern China) with Japan’s military taking increasingly a nationalist tone and exerting control over the Japanese government.  The invasion lead to the establishment of a Japanese puppet state, Manchukuo.  This invasion lead to condemnation of Japan and its withdrawal from the League of Nations.  1937 saw the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, which saw Japan invade China in the middle of a civil war between Nationalist and Communist elements.  This would interrupt the civil war for the duration of World War II with almost all Chinese parties fighting united against the Japanese invaders, despite friction and some fighting between both sides.  Japan initially pushed back the Chinese in eastern parts of the country and was to commit well known atrocities against the Chinese populace, most famously in Nanjing in 1937-38.  Meanwhile, Japan had drawn closer ties to Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy during this time, culminating in the 1940 military alliance, the Tripartite Pact committing the Axis Powers to mutual defense, its main target was the United States. 

1939 saw the start of the Second World War with Germany’s invasion of Poland and the subsequent British and French declarations of war.  Japan monitored the war but was committed to defeating China at the time.  With the fall of France to Nazi Germany in 1940, Japan took this chance to overtake French Indochina (Vietnam) and this lead to the US, Britain the Netherlands declaring a trade embargo.  Effectively this cut off Japan’s oil imports, 80% of which came from America and vital to its war efforts.  Seeing this as further evidence of America and Britain’s attempts to curtail Japan’s influence and project for a “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere”, a euphemism for Japanese imperialist control of East Asia and the Pacific, Japan began to develop plans for an attack against the US, Britain and the Netherlands.

The plan for war was developed under Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, the Japanese military and approved of eventually after much discussion by the Japanese Emperor and his council.  The goals were to launch simultaneous attacks against American, British and Dutch interests in the Pacific.  Namely, removing America from the Philippines, Guam and elsewhere in the Pacific Islands, conquering British Hong Kong, Malaya and Singapore and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) for its oil supply.  The attack was meant to be overwhelming and fast, crippling the naval capacity of America especially and making a rapid peace thereafter.  The plan for the attack of the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii would be executed in surprise fashion without declaration of war, influenced by Japan’s attack in 1904 on Imperial Russia’s naval base at Port Arthur.  It was also influenced by Britain’s successful plane oriented bombing of Italian ships at Taranto in 1940.  The goal was to sink and destroy as many ships as possible so that’s America’s naval capacity would be diminished to the point it couldn’t fight an effective naval war in the Pacific.

Americans polled at the time by Gallup were in the majority thinking war with Japan was imminent and there had been warning signs of war breaking out, but nothing conclusive.  The Japanese plan called for the use of aircraft carriers sending warplanes and small submarines from a great distance to launch in successive waves with the hopes of destroying American aircraft carriers docked at Pearl Harbor.  The attacked commenced at 7:48 AM local time with 183 Japanese warplanes launching from north of the island of Oahu, US radar detected the planes incoming but mistook them for US planes on maneuvers from the US mainland, the planes began bombing and strafing runs of US ships right away.  The US returned fire with its own planes and anti-aircraft guns.  Subsequently a second Japanese wave of planes attacked in quick succession.  These were coupled with midget submarine torpedo attacks. 

The battle was over in 90 minutes and was a tactical Japanese victory.  US casualties included 2,200+ military personnel killed and 65 civilians and hundreds wounded.  Half of the casualties occurred with the explosion of the forward magazine of the American battleship the USS Arizona.  Four American battleships were sunk, four damaged along with damage to numerous other ships, 188 aircraft destroyed and 159 damaged.  Japan lost 64 airmen and sailors in the attack, 29 planes destroyed, 74 damaged and 4 midget submarines sank, one was grounded and a single sailor taken prisoner, becoming the first Japanese POW of the war with America.  Japan delayed its declaration of war on America by three hours.  America declared war by vote of Congress the next day, after President Roosevelt’s speech.  Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy also declared war on America and the US responded mutually by December 11th.  The US would now have to fight a two front war in Europe and the Pacific.  Japan’s surprise attacks elsewhere against other American, British and Dutch targets were also mostly successful.  However, fate worked against Japan at Pearl Harbor in one crucial aspect, American aircraft carriers (their primary target) were not present, having been out at maneuvers at sea and this combined with American industrial output in the coming months were to have grave consequences for Japan’s war effort, especially as its navy would be decisively destroyed at the Battle of Midway in June 1942, thereafter putting them on the defensive and the road to final defeat...

[summarychannel]

Urgent .. The Chinese army carries out its threat and begins the siege of Taiwan with military forces in a huge maneuver What is happening on the island of Taiwan.. and why is China now preparing for this attack that we have always been waiting for??This episode of Samri TV discusses the escalation of tensions between the United States of America - America and China, as a result of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California, USA.China responded to the visit by launching maneuvers A new navy and air force around the Taiwan Strait, stressing, through the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Beijing's readiness to defend with all its might the principle of "One China".On the other hand, US military activities continue in the South China Sea. In conjunction with the maneuvers carried out by the US Navy, accompanied by South Korea and Japan, The Philippines announced its agreement to grant the US Army in the Pacific region 4 new military bases, one of which is located near the island of Taiwan, which means additional capabilities for the US side to enable it to defend the latter in the event of an invasion by the Chinese army. Watch this episode to know the developments of the China-Taiwan file and the cold war between China and America in the region

[saiborg224]

“Acceleration” Location, car, and character profiles

Well, since I figure I’m not gonna be super active with Acceleration for now, I minus as well release some of what I DO have, right? Enjoy these concept profiles I came up with when I first started the project!

***

“Qualifying” Race Region: Desert outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Created originally as a testing ground for cars of extreme speed and ability, this course was overhauled from a circuit taking up over 2 square miles in space, to a sprint course, more than doubling the amount of space, stunts, and obstacles, no longer just to test the high-horsepower cars that would be used, but now to test potential candidates that may drive these cars as well.

/Equipment: Track Tires

“Volcanic” Race region: Turrialba volcano, Costa Rica

This Active Volcano required a special type of track to be built in order to be a viable place to race; a type of track that would not overheat to the point of melting the road itself, or the cars’ tires. The Solution? Cooling lines within the track, along with Titanium Alloy used as Track Material, and lastly, energy shielding used where the Lava would draw close, and possibly even run over the track from time to time. Whilst the metallic track makes things a bit slick, it is believed by the engineers that the heat the volcano will generate in the cars’ tires will be more than enough to counteract this.

/Equipment: High-grade Summer Tires, Heat Reflectance Suit

“Polar” Race Region: N77.00, E112.00

Russia is full of tundra regions, some parts of the shoreline nearby even freezing during the winter. Given the right conditions, this water can even freeze over the track itself. These conditions will force the drivers to measure their movements, reactions, and throttle control with an even greater amount of care than ever before, lest they risk getting froze out in this unforgiving wasteland.

/Equipment: Studded Winter Tires, Emergency Warming Kit

“Costal/Water” Race Region: Philippine island chain, on and off island

Among everyday driving, Drivers typically take great care in rainy conditions to avoid hydroplaning. However, on this track where water covers considerable portions, Drivers will have to quickly figure out how to get across the waterlogged sections in a controlled, but fast manner, where the track is sometimes even missing under the surface.

/Equipment: Specialty “Hydroplane” Tires, Emergency Floatation Ballasts

“Canyon/Cave” Race Region: Colca Canyon, Peru

This Track will require all of a driver’s Reflexes, luck, skill, along with their car’s speed and HID headlights, in order to make it through without making a jump too short, wrecking into one of the many obstacles throughout the caves, or flying off one of the sharp hairpin turns, deep into the canyon’s rocky maw.

/Equipment: All-Purpose Tires, Embedded Grappling-Hook, Vehicle Parachute

“Jungle” Race Region: Amazonian Rainforest, South America

The incredible amount of rain, combined with the dirt and mud throughout this region of the world make this track particularly tricky. With some of the track partially covered in dirt and mud, and parts of the track even made up of the forest floor itself, This means that drivers will be required to find the “grippiest” parts of the track, all while avoiding trees, boulders, and mud pits throughout the off-road sections as they race through at breakneck speeds.

/Equipment: Off-road Tires, Increased Suspension Height Setting

“Desert” Race Region: Arabian Desert, UAE

Sand. It’s loose, capable of causing massive wheel slippage at unexpected times when small amounts are sprinkled over the track, and, when a large enough wind picks up, able to reduce visibility to zero. With parts of the track covered by sand, drivers will have to keep up a brisk pace, and attempt not to accelerate in the sand, lest they risk entirely burying their cars’ tires, and leave themselves at the mercy of the harsh sandstorms common here, of which are difficult enough to deal with on their own.

/Equipment: Deep-Tread Tires, Increased Suspension Height Setting

-Cars

“Orion Slingshot”

Engine: Turbocharged Second-Gen Lamborghini V12

Horsepower: 1000 bhp

Intake system: Top-mounted direct-feed Intake Scoop

Drive: RWD

Transmission: 7-speed Manual Gearbox

*Top Speed: 285 MPH

Based off a toy car the original creator of these races saw, this particular car is his personal vehicle. With an F12-inspired intake scoop, a Lamborghini V12 engine, and a lightweight “lift-up” unibody design, this car is Lightweight, Fast, and built for extreme top speeds.

Notes: Natural downforce is created by the shape of the car’s body. In other words, the faster this car goes, the “grippier” it gets.

“Modified 2012 Dodge Charger R/T”

Engine: Supercharged 5.7 HEMI V8

Horsepower: 900 bhp

Intake System: Stage 3 Cold Air intake

Drive: AWD

Transmission: 8-Speed Manual Sequential Gearbox

*Top Speed: 260 MPH

This Particular car was one of the first created for these tracks by Daniel Callahan. Given the amount of time that he has had to tune and perfect this car, it is almost perfect for the loops, jumps, and many other insane maneuvers that this car will face.

Notes: Handling characterristics are incredible on-road, but regardless of setup, particularly unfavorable off-road.

“Modified 2007 BMW Concept x6”

Engine: 4.4L S63 V8 Twin-turbo

Horsepower: 750 bhp

Intake System: Dual Snorkel System

Drive: AWD

Transmission: 6-Speed Manual

*Top Speed: 235 MPH

Created originally as a Replica to BMW’s original concept x6, this SUV has become much more. With a Bigger set of Turbochargers, completely rebuilt body, stripping out any excess weight, reinforcing the entire car like a roll cage, this particular vehicle basically became the equivalent of a Supercar built into a trophy truck, and is sure to dominate almost any terrain.

Notes: Was built to take quite a few bumps and bruises; it’ll smash through most obstacles when needed. However, it does have a considerable amount of bodyroll, due to it’s typical setup.

“Rally Duster”

Engine: Dual Supercharged 2005 LS6 Engines

Horsepower: 1000 bhp

Intake System: Dual Blower Supercharger Intakes

Drive: RWD

Transmission: Custom 6-Speed Manual

*Top Speed: 260 MPH

This Particular car is rather unique. Hand-built by one of the racers, of whom had a particular amount of experience in Rally driving, this car is an immense powerhouse from hell. When handled right, no other can match its off-road speed and agility. That is, given that you can handle 1000 horsepower being driven to the rear wheels thru two Corvette engines.

Notes: “Glass cannon” is a good word for it; Terribly well balanced, but can’t take a hit worth a darn.

“2016 Lykan Hypersport”

Engine: 3.7L Twin-turbo Flat-6

Horsepower: 820 bhp

Intake System: Dual Side-scoop

Drive: RWD

Transmission: 6 Speed Sequential Manual

*Top Speed: 265 MPH

The Owner of this car is a little more than “Mildly Eccentric”. They took a car of which as few as 7 were produced, tuned and barely upgraded it for an extra 40 bhp, and even set up the gearing to push for a higher top speed. With a high rate of acceleration, along with it’s new, albeit slightly higher electronic suspension, this car will be one to keep an eye on.

Notes: Extreme acceleration up to the top speed.

“1998 Chevy Tahoe 2-door”

Engine: 5.0L Cummins V8 Twin Turbo

Horsepower: 925 bhp

Intake System: Indv. Throttle Bodies

Drive: AWD

Transmission: 6-speed Race Automatic

*Top Speed: 249 MPH

A rat-rod, Diesel-powered project of torque and pure acceleration, this particular car is about as unwieldy as an angered badger. With stripped off fenders, doors replaced with welded-on “bars”, and the interior stripped out almost entirely, minus a few gauges and a racing seat, this Skeletal SUV was built as a rat-rod project from hell.

Notes: Sacrifices top speed for High Acceleration.

“2016 Local Motors Rally Fighter”

Engine: 6.2L LS3 Twincharged V8

Horsepower: 800 bhp

Intake System: Stage 3 Cold Air Intake

Drive: AWD

Transmission: 6-speed manual

*Top Speed: 237 MPH

Rebuilt by Jabari’s Team of Engineers specifically for these races, the Rally Fighter was already a formidable machine before this, now, however, it is even more so. Whilst keeping most of its physical attributes, this car is made of anything BUT original parts. All of the Panels and wheels are made of Carbon-fiber, frame made of Magnesium Alloy, and even bullet-proof windows installed for extra safety. With a Twincharged V8 to match, this car will surely be a true beast on the track and dirt alike.

Notes: This is another vehicle with a particularly high rate of roll, but incredible durability.

“1997 Race Mazda Miata”

Engine: Turbocharged 2.6L R26B Rotary

Horsepower: 939 bhp

Intake System: Indv. Throttle Bodies

Drive: RWD

Transmission: 7-Speed Manual

*Top Speed: 283 MPH

Light weight frame, rear-wheel drive, and close to 1000 Horsepower? This car will surely kill the driver if they don’t know how to handle it. However, when paired with the right driver, this car will fly like a bird, and sting like a bee. This car was built for high speed racing and maneuverability, and it does NOT disappoint.

Notes: A High top speed is achievable through a high amount of Skill and Balance.

“2019 Kawasaki Ninja H2R”

Engine: 998 CC DOHC I-4

Horsepower: 300 bhp

Intake System: Standard Intake

Drive: RWD

Transmission: 6-Speed Dog Ring

*Top Speed: 249 MPH

This motorbike has had very little modification to it, only modifications made being the electronic suspension system, and Nitrious fitting. Even without said modifications, this motorbike is extremely agile and fast. However, most street bikes weren’t made with off-road conditions in mind.

Notes: Extreme acceleration and top speed on Solid surfaces, handling deficiency offroad.

*Top speeds are measured without the use of Nitrous bottles installed in each car.

-Characters

/Creator

Name: Callus Callahan

Age: 54

Gender: Male

Height: 5’11

Ethnicity: African-American

Driving Experience: Track Racing

Car: “Orion Slingshot”

Home Origin: Dillon, Montana, USA

Appearance: Bald, Black T-shirt, loose brown “long-coat”, blue jeans.

Bio: Callus Callahan. The man who started it all, who created the original Circuit, along with incredible cars built to handle it all. The technology and cars he has created have made him a rich man, but with this challenge, he seeks to do something even greater, to revolutionize racing as it is known around the world.

/Driver

Name: Daniel Callahan

Age: 24

Gender: Male

Height: 6’3

Ethnicity: African-American

Driving Experience: Street Racing

Car: “2012 Dodge Charger R/T”

Home Origin: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Appearance: Black, tightly curled hair, Green eyes, Grey Cargo Jeans, Green T-shirt, worn Black hoodie with “ARMY” logo on it

Bio: Son of Callus Callahan, Daniel has been on his own for close to 4 years now, living on the streets with nothing but his car, the clothes on his back, and food gathered with funds from won street races and even some stolen from unlucky passers-by. Despite this, he was offered the chance to take part in these races because his father knows him well enough by now and had even watched him race on the original circuit. However, for Daniel, this is about more than the money. He is here to prove something to his father and to the world.

/Driver

Name: Sariah Malive

Age: 22

Gender: Female

Height: 5’6

Ethnicity: North American

Driving Experience: Track

Car: “1997 Race Mazda Miata”

Home Origin: Colombia, Kentucky, USA

Appearance: Short black and Yellow hair, Typically wears a loose-fitting one piece racing suit, average body build

Bio: Former Girlfriend of Daniel Callahan, Sariah was Born and Raised in Colombia, Kentucky, and hasn’t left since. When she and Daniel dated, Daniel’s love for cars rubbed off on her, and she became inspired to become a track car racer. Her involvement in this project is mainly coincidental. When the offer was sent out, most of the world’s top drivers were sent the message. Sariah was one of them, and given her and Daniel’s past, she may be one of the most driven competitors here.

/Driver

Name: Jabari Khari

Age: 37

Gender: Male

Height: 6’8

Ethnicity: African

Driving Experience: Trophy Trucks, Baja

Car: “2016 Local Motors Rally Fighter”

Home Origin: Johannesburg, South Africa

Appearance: Short, blond hair, cut close to the scalp, Loose white Jacket and Jeans

Bio: Jabari grew up in a very rich family. Whilst his family raised him to live like a king, he has always had an underlying instinct that, in a way, forces him to help others. This does not mean, however, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t use his money for fun on more than one occasion. When he was invited to this race, he proceeded to have a car built by his own personal team of engineers and is even maintained by said engineers. Given his background in trophy truck racing, he will certainly have a few tricks up his sleeve.

/Driver

Name: Ganzorig Tsetseg

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Height: 5’8

Ethnicity: Mongolian

Driving Experience: Street Racing

Car: “1998 Chevy Tahoe 2-door”

Home Origin: Sharyngol, Mongolia

Appearance: Slightly chubby, Messy Dirty-Blonde hair about shoulder length, blue eyes, Torn denim jacket, black crop-top, grey cargo shorts, belly piercing

Bio: Ganzorig has raced her father’s “Rat Rod” wince she was a child, mainly fneding for herself in the town of Sharyngol after her father died in a deal gone wrong. She has continuously proven herself an incredible driver with her constant escapes from bandits, Law Enforcement. However, she seeks a different life, one that she would get if she wins these races.

/Driver

Name: Petya Aleksandr

Age: 43

Gender: Male

Height: 5’5

Ethnicity: Russian

Driving Experience: Rally Driver

Car: “Rally Duster”

Home Origin: Moscow, Russia

Appearance: shortly cut black hair, worn Russian Army Jacket, Cargo jeans

Bio: Petya Served in the Russian Ground Forces from the Age of 20, up to the age of 36. He was an incredible driver of nearly all of their vehicles, and would have served longer, had his arm not been blown off in an incident with an IED. Despite the prosthetic arm replacing his own, he was no longer allowed to serve. So, he continued with the talent he had discovered whilst in the army; Driving. He participated in rally driving, using the money he had saved up form his work to build his own vehicle, and quickly proved to be one of the best. The way Petya sees this race and its challenges... he sees another day in the army, nothing more.

/Driver

Name: Rong Guanghua

Age: Ȩ̶̫̳͔͊̓̚R̶̟̱̮͒̏̈̽̕R̸̙̜̲͕͇̫̱̗̾̅̏̓̋̑͋̊̿̓O̸̼͛̓Ṛ̶̡̺͕͂͜

Gender: Female

Height: 5’7

Ethnicity: Chinese

Driving Experience: E̶̗̱̺͔̲̤̰̙͈̥̫͉̩̼̪͊͌̃͌̈́́̔̓͛͝Ŕ̷̡̧̼̯̭͍̳̲̗̹̞̼͚̣͜Ṟ̸̯̽̒̍̽̒̍̾͛̐̌̕̚͠Ȏ̸͓̊͌̂̒̽̋̆̏̂̕R̴͎̜͒͌̄͆͆͋͊̈́̌͂̔̒͒̍̕:̵̲͇̘̖́͗̂̂̀ ̵̡̱̞̼̈́̉̏̈́̈Ḩ̵̲̲̰͓͈̹͙̜͚̼̘͛̓́̓͑͠Ả̵̧̧̨̺͚̹̘͔̪̻͍͈͆͗͌́̋̈́̚C̴̯̲͓͎͓̖̒̎̿̏͗̓̀͝K̴̻̼͎̯̙̗̄͊͗͛́̑͝͝È̴̡̛̘͚͖̭̫̼̪̬̣̯̓͋̈́̍̕͝ͅḐ̶́͂͊̈̂́͒̑̆͂̒̕͠

Car: Kawasaki Ninja H2R

Home Origin: Tokyo, Japan

Appearance: Shoulder-length Black hair, Golden-brown eyes, Black Helmet with Green visor, Black Motorbike Jacket, Motorbike pants

Bio: This Particular Racer is an anomaly.. nobody knows who she is, where she came from, Even Callus isn’t quite sure who she is… But she has proven to be an extremely talented driver. So, for now, Callus allows her to race. Albeit whilst keeping an eye on her when he can.

[nicholassabalos]

Navies passing by....

Japan and America....friends and allies....meeting on the high seas....

PHILIPPINE SEA (August 26, 2018) -- United States Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), along with transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20), dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), and Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86), sail in formation with Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) amphibious transport dock ship JS Osumi (LST 4001) during a Passing Exercise (PASSEX).

The PASSEX enabled the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the JMSDF a chance to practice communications and maneuvering procedures....offering a training opportunity often of some chance....as friends and allies cross paths on the high seas.

The Wasp ARG is currently deployed to the region to work with partner nations’ navies, and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency....from humanitarian/disaster relief, to military action.

                                            Philippine Sea (center)

                                            *          *          *          *

I used to enjoy these PASSEXs during my U.S. Navy seagoing days. 

Working with allied navies was always such an exhilarating and positive professional -- and, inherently diplomatic -- experience! 

To sail alongside your counterparts from other countries would always generate an excited buzz of its own around the ship....

If nothing else, making everyone feel less alone on the vast ocean....

                                   _____________________________

>>CLICK the photos for captions identifying the ships in each image....

>>Photos: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Taylor King, USN