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Mitch McConnell August 21, 2012 Frankfort, Kentucky: "This November we need to make Barack Obama a one term President."
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - View original article
B-57 Canberra | |
B-57A in flight over Chesapeake Bay, Maryland | |
Role | Bomber |
Manufacturer | Martin |
First flight | 20 July 1953 |
Introduction | 1954 |
Status | Retired (2 still used by NASA[1]) |
Primary users | United States Air Force Pakistan Air Force Republic of China Air Force |
Number built | 403 |
Unit cost | US$1.26 million (B-57B)[2] |
Developed from | English Electric Canberra |
Variants | Martin RB-57F Canberra |
B-57 Canberra | |
B-57A in flight over Chesapeake Bay, Maryland | |
Role | Bomber |
Manufacturer | Martin |
First flight | 20 July 1953 |
Introduction | 1954 |
Status | Retired (2 still used by NASA[1]) |
Primary users | United States Air Force Pakistan Air Force Republic of China Air Force |
Number built | 403 |
Unit cost | US$1.26 million (B-57B)[2] |
Developed from | English Electric Canberra |
Variants | Martin RB-57F Canberra |
The Martin B-57 Canberra was a United States-built, twin jet engine tactical bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, which entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1953. The B-57 was a licence-built version of the English Electric Canberra, although the Glenn L. Martin Company later modified the design to produce several unique variants.
The retirement in 1983 of the B-57 ended the era of the tactical bomber that had its beginning with the World War I De Havilland DH-4. The last two remaining flight worthy WB-57Fs are technically assigned to the NASA Johnson Space Center at Ellington Field, Houston, Texas as high altitude scientific research aircraft,[1] but are also used in a testing and war-fighting capability in both the U.S. and Middle East, specifically Afghanistan.[3]
Contents |
At the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, the USAF found itself in dire need of an all-weather interdiction aircraft. The piston-engined Douglas A-26 Invaders were limited to fair weather operations and were in short supply. Consequently, on 16 September 1950, the USAF issued a request for a jet-powered bomber with a top speed of 630 mph (1,020 km/h), ceiling of 40,000 feet (12,190 m), and range of 1,150 miles (1,850 km). Full all-weather capability and secondary reconnaissance role had to be included in the design. To expedite the process, only projects based on existing aircraft were considered. The contenders included the Martin XB-51, and the North American B-45 Tornado and AJ Savage.[citation needed]
Foreign aircraft including the Canadian Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck and the new British English Electric Canberra, which had not officially entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) at the time, were also considered, an extremely rare move. The AJ and B-45 were quickly dismissed, because their outdated designs had limited growth potential. The CF-100, an all-weather interceptor, was too small and lacked sufficient range. The XB-51, while very promising and much faster, had limited maneouverability, a small weapons bay and limited range and endurance.
On 21 February 1951, a British Canberra B.2 (flown by Roland Beaumont) became the first-ever jet to make a non-stop unrefuelled flight across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving in the United States for USAF evaluation. In a 26 February flyoff against the XB-51, the Canberra emerged a clear winner.[citation needed] It was officially taken up by the USAF on 25 May 1951.
However, because their production lines were working at full capacity to meet the Royal Air Force orders, English Electric was unable to produce additional aircraft quickly enough for USAF requirements, and on 3 April 1951,[citation needed] Martin was granted a license to build Canberras, designated B-57 (Martin Model 272) in the United States. To expedite production, the first B-57As were largely identical to the Canberra B.2, with the exception of more powerful Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire engines of 7,200 lbf (32 kN) of thrust instead of Rolls-Royce Avons, also license-built in the United States as Wright J65s. In addition, canopy and fuselage windows were slightly revised, the crew was reduced from three to two, wingtip fuel tanks were added, engine nacelles were modified with additional cooling scoops, and the conventional "clamshell" bomb bay doors were replaced with a low-drag rotating door originally designed for the XB-51.[4]
The first production aircraft flew on 20 July 1953, and was accepted by USAF on 20 August 1953. During the production run from 1953 to 1957, a total of 403 B-57s were built.
The B-57A was not considered combat-ready by the USAF and the aircraft were used solely for testing and development. One of the aircraft was given to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which fitted it with a new nose radome and used it to track hurricanes. The reason for such limited production was that the B-57A was considered unsuitable by the USAF. Particularly contentious were the cockpit arrangement and the lack of guns, the Canberra having been designed as a high-speed, high altitude bomber rather than for close air support. The definitive B-57B introduced a new tandem cockpit with a bubble canopy, the engines were now started with a pyrotechnic cartridge, the airbrakes were moved from the wings to the sides of the fuselage for increased effectiveness, the controls were now boosted, four hardpoints were fitted under the wings, and the aircraft was given gun armament in the form of eight 0.50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns in the wings, later replaced by four 20 mm M39 cannons. The first B-57B flew on 18 June 1954. The aircraft initially suffered from the same engine malfunctions as the RB-57As and several were lost in high-speed low-level operations due to a faulty tailplane actuator which caused the aircraft to dive into the ground. The USAF considered the B-57B inadequate for the night intruder role and Martin put all aircraft through an extensive avionics upgrade. Regardless, by the end of 1957, the USAF tactical squadrons were being re-equipped with supersonic North American F-100 Super Sabres. The complete retirement was delayed, however, by the start of the Vietnam War.
While the USAF found the B-57A lacking, the photo reconnaissance RB-57A saw some operational use. First flying in October 1953, RB-57As fully equipped the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Shaw Air Force Base by July 1954. The aircraft were also deployed with USAF squadrons in Germany, France, and Japan. However, operational readiness was poor and the aircraft suffered from significant production delays because of engine problems. Wright had subcontracted production of J65 engines to Buick, which resulted in slow deliveries and a tendency for engine oil to enter the bleed air system, filling the cockpit with smoke. The problems were ameliorated when Wright took over engine production in 1954. RB-57As also suffered from a high accident rate caused in part by poor single-engine handling. This resulted in the entire fleet spending much of 1955 on the ground. By 1958, all RB-57A craft were replaced in active service by the Douglas RB-66B and McDonnell RF-101A. Air National Guard units extensively used the RB-57A for photographic surveys of the United States until 1971.
A number of modified RB-57As were used by the 7499th Support Group at Wiesbaden AB, West Germany in Operation "Heart Throb" reconnaissance missions over Europe.[5] Ten aircraft were pulled off Martin's production line and modifications were performed in August1955 by the Wright Air Development Center and by Martin. All equipment not absolutely essential for the daytime photography role was eliminated. The bomb bay door was removed and the area was skinned over. The seat for the system operator/navigator was removed, and an optical viewfinder was installed in the nose so that the pilot could perform all the reconnaissance duties without the assistance of the navigator. The clear plexiglass nose cone was replaced by an opaque fiberglass cone, but with a small optical glass window cut for the viewfinder. The plane's J65-BW-5s were replaced by higher-thrust J65-W-7s. The aircraft was referred to as RB-57A-1. The weight reduction program shaved 5665 pounds off the weight of the RB-57A, and the ceiling was increased by 5000 feet.[6]
Two RB-57A-1s were used by the Republic of China Air Force for reconnaissance missions over China; one was shot down by a Chinese Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 on 18 February 1958 and the pilot killed. In 1959, two RB-57Ds were delivered to replace the A-types; one of them was shot down over China by a SA-2 Guideline missile, marking the very first successful operational engagement of surface-to-air missiles. Two other RB-57As were used by the Federal Aviation Administration to plan high-altitude airways for the upcoming jet passenger aircraft.
Starting in 1959, Martin began to modify retired RB-57As with electronic countermeasures (ECM) equipment in the bomb bay. Redesignated EB-57A, these aircraft were deployed with Defense Systems Evaluation Squadrons which played the role of aggressors to train the friendly air defense units in the art of electronic warfare. Subsequent bomber variants were also modified to fulfill this role. Although initially conducted by active duty Air Force units, the EB-57 mission eventually migrated to selected units of the Air National Guard.[7][8][9] The ANG's EB-57s were replaced, in the 1980s, by the USAF's more advanced General Dynamics/Grumman EF-111A Raven.
Strategic Air Command employed 20 RB-57D aircraft from 1956 until 1964. Little is known about their use. The aircraft were retired due to structural fatigue and the advent of the U-2 and SR-71.[10]
Even in 2012, not all Canberras have been scrapped or sent to museums. Owned by NASA, two modified WB-57F Canberras are now among America's most important warplanes. In anonymous-looking white paint jobs, they have been taking turns deploying to Afghanistan, carrying a high-tech new radio translator, designed to connect pretty much any fighter, bomber, spy plane and ground radio to virtually any other fighter, bomber, spy plane or ground radio. That makes the former Air Force reconnaissance planes, originally transferred to the space agency for science missions, essential hubs of the American-led war effort. With the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node system, or BACN, the WB-57s act as Star Trek-style universal translators, passing data between planes and troops and finally bringing to life the Pentagon's decades-old dream of speedy information-propelled, networked warfare. It orbits high up and basically receives various platforms' datalink data, then translates all that data and redistributes it in a fused manner back to different platforms in the operating area.
Although intended as a bomber and never before deployed by the USAF to a combat zone, the first B-57s to be deployed to South Vietnam were not operated in an offensive role. The need for additional reconnaissance assets, especially those capable of operating at night, led to the deployment of two RB-57E aircraft on 15 April 1963. Under project Patricia Lynn these aircraft provided infrared coverage using their Reconofax VI cameras.[11] Later in August 1965, a single RB-57F would be deployed to Udon, RTAB in an attempt to gather information about North Vietnamese SAM sites, first under project Greek God and then under project Mad King. In December another RB-57F would be deployed for this purpose, under project Sky Wave. Neither project garnered useful results and they were terminated in October 1965 and February 1966 respectively.[12]
The deployment of actual combat capable B-57Bs from 8th and 13th Bomb Squadrons to Bien Hoa in August 1964 began with three aircraft lost in collisions on arrival.[citation needed] An additional five aircraft were destroyed with another 15 damaged by a Viet Cong mortar attack in November of the same year. Low level sorties designated as training flights were conducted with the hope of it having a psychological effect. As a result the first combat mission was only flown on 19 February 1965.[13] The first excursion into North Vietnam took place on 2 March as part of Operation Rolling Thunder. The aircraft typically carried nine 500 lb (227 kg) bombs in the bomb bay and four 750 lb (340 kg) bombs under the wings. In April, Canberras began flying night intruder missions supported by USAF's Fairchild C-123 Provider or Lockheed C-130 Hercules flare ships and USN's EF-10B Skyknight electronic warfare aircraft.
On 16 May 1965, an armed B-57B exploded on the runway at Bien Hoa, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed 10 other Canberras, 11 Douglas A-1 Skyraiders, and one Vought F-8 Crusader. Due to combat attrition, in October 1966, B-57Bs were transferred to Phan Rang where they supported operations in the Iron Triangle along with Australian Canberra B.20s. The aircraft also continued to fly night interdiction missions against the Ho Chi Minh trail. Of the 94 B-57Bs deployed to Southeast Asia, 51 were lost in combat and seven other Canberras were lost to other causes. Only nine were still flying by 1969.[citation needed]
B-57s returned to Southeast Asia in the form of the Tropic Moon III B-57G, deployed to Thailand during the fall of 1970.[14] Intended as a night intruder to help combat movement along the Ho Chi Minh trail, these aircraft were equipped with a variety of new sensors and other equipment, and were capable of dropping laser guided munitions.[15] The relative kill rates per sortie during Operation Commando Hunt V between the B-57G and the AC-130A/E showed that the former was not as suited to the role of trucker hunter.[16] An attempt to combine both led to one B-57G being modified to house a special bomb bay installation of one Emerson TAT-161 turret with a single M61 20mm cannon as a gunship under project Pave Gat. After delays in testing at Eglin AFB, Florida, due to competition for mission time from the Tropic Moon III B-57Gs, Pave Gat tests proved "that the B-57G could hit stationary or moving targets with its 20mm gun, day or night. Loaded with 4,000 rounds of ammunition, the Pave Gat B-57G could hit as many as 20 targets, three times as many as the bomb-carrying B-57G. The Pave Gat aircraft could avoid antiaircraft fire by firing from offset positions, while the bomb carrier had to pass directly over the target." Deployment to SEA was resisted, however, by the Seventh and Thirteenth Air Forces and others as the decision had been made in August 1971 to return the B-57G squadron to the U.S. in early 1972, leaving insufficient evaluation time. Project Pave Gat was terminated 21 December 1971.[17] The B-57G was removed from Thailand in May 1972. Plans remained for the continuation of the B-57G program but post-conflict spending cuts forced the abandonment of these plans.[18]
For a short period South Vietnamese Air Force personnel operated four B-57B aircraft. The VNAF never officially took control of the aircraft, and, after accidents and other problems, including apparent claims by VNAF pilots that the B-57 was beyond their physical capabilities, the program was terminated in April 1966, and the aircraft were returned to their original USAF units.[19]
The Pakistan Air Force was one of the main users of the B-57 and made use of it in two wars with India. In the Second Kashmir War of 1965 B-57s flew 167 sorties, dropping over 600 tons of bombs. Three B-57s were lost in action, along with one RB-57F electronic intelligence aircraft.[20] However, only one of those three was lost as a result of enemy action.[21] During the war, the bomber wing of the PAF was attacking the concentration of airfields in north India. In order to avoid enemy fighter-bombers, the B-57s operated from several different airbases, taking off and returning to different bases to hop and avoid being attacked.[22] The B-57 bombers would arrive over their targets in a stream at intervals of about 15 minutes, which led to achieving a major disruption of the overall IAF effort.[21] PAF's B-57 Squadron formed world's first to form a regular formation aerobatics team of 4 such aircraft.[23] The unknown Pakistani flying ace, 8-Pass Charlie. was named by his adversaries for making 8 passes to bomb different targets with each of the B-57's bombs in the moonlight.[24][25]
During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the PAF again made use of the B-57. On the very first night, 12 IAF runways were targeted and a total of 183 bombs were dropped rendering the Indian airfields useless for 6 hours to 6 days.[26] As the war progressed, PAF B-57s carried out many night missions. There was a higher attrition rate than in 1965, with at least five B-57s being put out of service by the end of the war.[20][27] They were retired from service in the PAF in 1985.
Data from Quest for Performance[41]
General characteristics
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: B-57 Canberra |

subset: commoncrawl


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Ingredients & Description
Hand-picked wild cherries infused with wild spice oils are what makes kidekare children's throat spray so powerful. Kidekare throat spray uses wild cherries rich in natural flavonoids which provide essential vitamins and nutrients. This throat spray is further enhanced with raw honey, making it a true natural product. Spray in mounth and/or throat as needed. This makes the perfect combination when combined with kidekare gelcaps.


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Sam's Club has named David Badeen as vice president of health care, a position in which he will have responsibility for pharmacy.
Retail News Breaks Archives
BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Sam's Club has named David Badeen as vice president of health care, a position in which he will have responsibility for pharmacy.
The Walmart chain said Friday that Badeen also will have responsibility for over-the-counter products, optical and hearing aid centers, and third-party contracting and pricing.
He reports to Jill Turner-Mitchael, senior vice president of health and wellness.
Badeen joined Walmart in 1985 as a pharmacy manager before moving to the home office in Bentonville in 1993 to serve as director of automated systems. From 1996 to 1998, he was Sam's Club's director of pharmacy, and he later went on to assume leadership roles in operations, new business development, merchandising and managed care at Walmart.
Badeen assumes the role formerly held by Jason Reiser, who was vice president of merchandising, health and family care for Sam's Club before leaving the company last summer to join Family Dollar Stores Inc.
Also on Friday, Sam's Club announced that George Agnacian, vice president of consumables, has received expanded responsibility encompassing health and beauty aids, tabletops/bags, pets, laundry and home care, baby care, restaurant supplies, paper and commercial cleaning.
Overall, Sam's Club has about 580 pharmacies in its 630 stores. In recent years, the chain has expanded its pharmacy services, including discount prescription programs, immunizations and free health screenings.
Last year, Sam's Club performed more than 896,000 free health screenings over 10 monthly events, focusing on such areas as men's and women's health, diabetes, oral care, skin care, weight management, allergies and heart health. Screenings also have been scheduled for 10 more events this year through October.
The retailer offers pharmacist-administered flu shots plus nine other vaccinations, along with $4/$10 generic prescription prices to the public. Sam's Plus and Sam's Business members get another 8% discount on branded prescriptions, 40% discount on generics not part of the $4/$10 generics program, and access to the Extra Value Drug List, which features 10% to 30% savings on dozens of name-brand and generic prescriptions.


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THERE'S great Warren Buffett quote: "I buy (shares) on the assumption that they could close the market and not reopen it for five years".
It's good advice, evidenced by Vanguard's 30-year index chart, released earlier this month. The chart tracks the growth over a 30-year time frame of a $10,000 investment. So had you invested $10,000 30 years ago and reinvested all income, you could now have:
• $268,733 if invested in Australian shares; • $190,702 if invested in US shares; • $168,900 if invested in listed property; • $105,786 if invested in cash.
While the chart demonstrates the value of long-term investing, it also shows the value of following a broad trend rather than focusing specifically on any one fad.
What do I mean? Well the Australian shares result above is calculated on the S &P/ASX All Ordinaries Accumulation index. This index represents the 500 largest companies listed on the ASX - but over the past 30 years the top five hundred companies have changed. Some examples are the float of the Commonwealth Bank, of Woolworths, of Telstra and the various airlines.
So the biggest trends in the next decade? Same as before. Property and shares. Property will do well because everyone loves it and it receives government support. Shares will do well because they represent our economic achievements. Which ones? It doesn't matter. Follow the trend and ignore the hysteria.
Justine Davies is finance editor and commentator with financial research...


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As one of Germany's few laboratory equipment trading companies, Steiner GmbH Chemie und Labortechnik provides almost a full range, from standard chemicals to complete laboratory equipment.
Trained and highly qualified staff ensure the maximum level of competence in all areas, from production to quality control.
Take a look at their website:
Steiner GmbH Chemie u. Labortechnik
The military hospital in the Marmal Camp in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan has been completed and delivered and has come into operation.
After 15 days' installation, our team safely returned from the Marmal Camp on February 8, 2007.


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Fighter Analysis: Martin Stapleton
This week it's top UK Lightweight Martin Stapleton's turn to answer the questions.Having recently won the Fight Stars eight man tournament in Liverpool his stock is rapidly on the rise. A solid 2013 should see the UFC brass sit up and take notice and if all goes to plan Martin should start 2014 as a UFC fighter.
Name: Martin Stapleton
Nickname: .50 Cal!
Age: 29 years young!
Marital Status: Married
Gym: Team Kaobon and Full Contact Performance Centre
MMA Record: 12-1
Twitter Account: @Stapes_50Cal
Website: www.fullcontactperformance.co.uk
What is your:
Career High? Winning the Cage Contender: Fight Stars tournament in Dec at the Olympia in Liverpool
Career Low? Putting in a crap performance and letting myself down on TUF, something I WILL put right!
Career Ambition? hah, do you need to ask? I want to be the UFC Lightweight World Champion, as should every serious fighter!
Favourite Ever Fight? Of my own? Probably against Jason Cooledge, every time I hit him he smiled! Even when I caught him with shots that broke my hand. Tough guy!
Favourite way to end a fight? It used to be KO/TKO but lately I'm trying to submit guys. Andy Aspinall is putting a lot of effort into improving my ground game so I'm trying to show him that it's working during my fights.
Favourite ever MMA event? CCFS, obviously (laughs)! There were over 200 guys that came over from Rochdale so it was an amazing atmosphere
Favourite MMA Promotion? It's gotta be the big one UFC!
Favourite Movie? Tombstone or Full Metal Jacket
Favourite Artist/Band? I'm into Old Skool rap, but I'd say Eminem is my favourite throughout the years.
Favourite Food? Curry from The Asia in Rochdale! (Amir you owe me one haha)
Favourite Alcoholic Beverage? Dirty Bomb Pass It On!!!
Favourite Sport (Apart from MMA)? Boxing
Is your favourite fighter of all time? Jose Aldo, B.J. Penn and Rickson Gracie!
Would you most like to fight (any weight and era)? Any of the current UFC Lightweights!
Would you least like to meet in a dark alley? Chuck Norris
Would you want alongside you in a bar fight? Chuck Norris!
Is your favourite MMA Ring Girl? I have never ever looked or glanced at a ring girl, that's my story and I'm sticking with it!
Pick three of your team mates and describe them using only one word?
1. Rob Sinclair - UFC??????????
2. Terry Etim - Painfull
3. Mark Scanlon - Leader
Do you have any superstitions? Yeah, try not to stand on IED's
First thing you eat after weighing in? Whatever my brother passes me, I'm usually too drained to care!!
What is the stupidest thing you have ever done? Called a "Papa Mike" in the gym with about 40 Royal Marines PTI's there! For those who don't know what that means, let me just say it's a LOT more painful that you can probably imagine and it lasts until the lads get bored of beasting you!
What is the worst injury you've ever suffered? No comment.
And Finally....What are you Addicted to? Just MMA, training and my gym!
Please could I thank my Sponsors! www.cross-deck.co.uk and Inner Armour
Photos of Martin by Creative Camera in action at Full Contact Contender 3.
Creative Camera on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeCameraPhotography
Full Contact Contender on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fullcontactcontender.co.uk?fref=ts
Published by Steve Wickett - Fri, 11 Jan 2013 21:54


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Luter: Scouts Possible Gay Ban Change Disappointing
Luter: Scouts Possible Gay Ban Change Disappointing
11 results for 'fred luter'. Showing results 1 - 11
Luter: Scouts Possible Gay Ban Change Disappointing
Post-Katrina: New Orleans Reborn through Prayer
Fred Luter, President of the Southern Baptist Convention, joins 700 Club Interactive to share his story.
Fred Luter, Jr., shares about the impact on being the first African American leader in the 167-year history of...
The new President of the Southern Baptist Convention Fred Luter shares about his new role. Plus, Lopez Lomong escaped...
Racism to Revival: Luter's Vision for So. Baptists
He revived his dying church to thousands then rebuilt after Katrina. Now, Pastor Fred Luter is hoping for similar...
The Southern Baptist Convention has elected its first black president. Fred Luter, Jr., is a New Orleans pastor and...
New Southern Baptist Leader Focused on Membership
Southern Baptists Name First Black President
So. Baptist Convention Elects First Black VP


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The filibuster stalker
Sunday, December 23, 2012
WASHINGTON — Ideas are not responsible for the people who believe them, but when evaluating Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's ideas for making the Senate more like the House of Representatives, consider the source. Reid is just a legislative mechanic trying to make Congress' machinery efficiently responsive to his party's progressivism. And proper progressives think the Constitution, understood as a charter of limited government, is unconstitutional.
Wilson was the first president to criticize the American founding, which he did because the Constitution bristles with delaying and blocking mechanisms, especially the separation of powers. The point of progressivism, say its adherents, is to progress up from the Founders' fetish with limiting government and restraining majorities. Hence progressives' animus against the filibuster, which protects minority rights by allowing for the measurement of intensity as well as mere numbers.
Recourse to filibusters has increased in tandem with, and partly because of, the 70 times Reid has used a parliamentary device ("filling the tree") to limit and even deny the minority's right to offer amendments to legislation. Furthermore, 69 times Reid has bypassed committees, bringing bills written in private directly to the Senate floor without any Republican participation. The filibuster is a means whereby the minority can give an overbearing majority an incentive to compromise. Yet progressives simultaneously complain about the filibuster and the absence of compromise.
The Senate can adopt new rules by a simple majority only by ignoring its long-standing rules. In the 2005 argument about filibustering judicial nominees, Sen. Joe Biden believed, or was told he believed, this "arrogance of power" ignored the fact that "the Senate is not meant to be a place of pure majoritarianism."
Conservatives believe that 98 percent of good governance consists of stopping bad — meaning most — ideas. So conservatives can tolerate liberal filibusters more easily than liberals, who relish hyperkinetic government, can tolerate conservative filibusters. Come January, 21 of Reid's 55 Democrats will have come to the Senate in 2009 or later. They have never been in the minority. They must remember this: Some day they may be. |


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Fans of all ages will be able meet members of the Ducks' track and field team and take part in a community mile race
The Ducks will have 13 entries on the men's side and 12 on the women's side, beating last year's total of 23.
The Oregon track and field team garnered five event wins at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships, Saturday.
The men's distance medley relay team made a statement while securing its place in the NCAA Championships, Friday.
Track and field's most famous couple – Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton will be the featured guests at the next TrackTown Tuesday.
In the final meet before the NCAA Indoor Championships, Oregon will have its last chance to add to the list of qualifiers.
With another season at Hayward Field fast approaching, fans will have the opportunity to purchase season-tickets beginning Friday, Feb. 20.
The NCAA Track & Field and Cross Country Committee has decided to separate the men's and women's events at the NCAA Championships onto different days.
Three men's milers went below four minutes, Saturday, led by Edward Cheserek's school record at the Millrose Games.
Prandini's time of 22.87 seconds in the 200 meters leads the world so far this year.
The track and field team will divide into three groups competing at the Husky Classic, Don Kirby Elite and the Millrose Games.


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Sister Reunion by - 5 months ago
"My wife, her five sisters and their 92 year old mother me in Southern Utah for a reunion. I had shirts made for the occasion The back of the shirt said, "Sister Reunion of the experts on Everythi..." view full details
Lyla's Little Valentines by Sue - 5 months ago
"This is our team for five-year-old Lyla, who has type one diabetes. We are at the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes in Provo, Utah. Not even a little (or a lot) of rain slowed us down! " view full details
Wasatch 100 Mile Run Finish Line #O6HC by KMF - 6 months ago
"CustomInk got these rush hats to us in Utah so we could rock them out for two of our runners running the Wasatch 100 mile run! This was the 6th hundred mile run these guys completed in 13 weeks. We..." view full details
Gamiz family Reunion in Utah by Gamiz family - 7 months ago
"Our 5 kids and their families traveled from both coasts to meet up in Park City, Utah for a reunion. We had a busy week of fishing, laughter, water sports, and games sharing a roomy 6 bedroom cabin..." view full details
Grandkids at Bear Lake by Jenny - 8 months ago
"I absolutely loved working with CustomInk. Every thing went so smoothly and the shirts were more than I had hoped for. My family had our first family reunion in 12 years. My parents have 16 Grandki..." view full details
The Drum Bus by Blooming Minds Montessori Summer Camp - 9 months ago
"This photo was taken on The Drum Bus in Salt Lake City, Utah. We ordered Summer Camp shirts for our students at our Preschool to wear during all of the fun summer camp events. We loved how the shir..." view full details
Team Adam by Solinger Family - 9 months ago
"Team Adam participated in the Sand Hallow Triathlon in St George, Utah. Adam himself (#3) had his personal best time in the sprint division. The rest of us ran/walked the 5k. Our t-shirts drew a l..." view full details
Winning! by West High Science Olympiad - 11 months ago
"After months of study West High's 2 teams each brought home 3rd place at the Utah State Science Olympiad!" view full details
Honoring Jake Nielsen Tribute by Jake Nielsen Tribute Fundraiser - 12 months ago
"The Jake Nielsen Tribute was held on March 22nd, 2014 at the Byrd Theatre in Richmond, Va. It was a 3 hr music concert put on by his Richmond School of Rock youth students to honor all the love, wo..." view full details
Hootie Hoo - Annual Ski Trip by Hootie Hoo - Utah, Gimme 2 - about 1 year ago
"Every year our group of college friends reunites for one long weekend of boarding/skiing at different mountains across the west. This year we had great snow at The Canyons - Park City, Utah and sp..." view full details


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Public Opinion: It's a Social Thing
If you are one of those who likes to think society is just a collection of individuals, well, think again. There's a nice piece in today's Independent by Terence Blacker following on from yesterday's furore about the Home Secretary.
read more...»The Home Secretary's Films
I'm having to be very careful not to use the P word today because I don't want Google bringing forth all sorts of undesirable adverts. But you will all know what I'm talking about. But what about the sociology of the matter?
read more...»Quick Quiz 4 Answers
Answers to Quick Quiz 4 I'm sure this won't have been too difficult. If you're unsure of any of the terms, check them up. Make sure you know and can use the terms appropriately.
read more...»Quick Quiz 4
Quick Quiz 4 - Marxism and The Family Here you are, a very quick quiz on the Marxist view of the family; or at least, a bit of it. Fill in the gaps, answers will follow in a later posting - probably tomorrow - with an obvious heading so you can find it. It's important in sociology to learn the technical vocabulary and use it; it makes life easier for you - believe it or not - and helps convince examiners that you actually know what you're talking about. Don't read too much into the length of the gaps - that just reflects the practical difficulties in producing a test like this.
Good luck.
read more...»Has Work Really Changed?
It's worth dropping by Laurie Taylor's Thinking Aloud radio programme every now and then for interesting snippets of sociological interest. Taylor used to be Professor of Sociology at York University and he is a great populariser for sociology and the social sciences. Today he is discussing the changing nature of work with Professor Kevin Doogan and the politics and sociology of climate change with Prof. Tony Giddens.
read more...»Who Says Status is Dead?
How to Stand Out in a Crowd It just so happens that I was booking up a flight for my summer holiday yesterday. I'm not surprised to be asked to give a 'Title', amongst the requests for credit card numbers and so on. But I was surprised by the range of titles available.
read more...»Jade Goody and Class
Jade, the Underclass and the Media Following my blog yesterday, I've found a rather interesting article on Goody by Johann Hari in The Independent.
read more...»Jade Goody
Jade, Class, Health and the Media Today the opinion and leader columns are full of the news of Jade Goody's death. So, what more can sociology say about this, stranger than fiction episode?
read more...»Quick Quiz 3 Answers
Answers to Quick Quiz 3 The answers to Quick Quiz 3 are below.
read more...»Quick Quiz 3
A Few Questions about Research Methods
Here's a quick quiz on research methods. Questions below, answers in a separate posting.
Language and National Identity
Ethnicity, Language and National Identity Yesterday's leader from The Daily Mail gives a lot of food for thought on this topic. Our national identity may often be considered to be something 'natural' and inevitable, and even something which transcends politics. In fact, I'd argue it's all about politics- in the sense of power and conflict between different social groups.
read more...»Public Ownership of the Mass Media
Here's an answer to my question from yesterday:
read more...»Media Ownership and the BBC
Ownership and Control of the Media In the news today is discussion of Tory plans to freeze the BBC licence fee for one year. Now, I may just be talking about my own inadequacies, but I always get the feeling that the textbooks and the way we teach the media topic are slightly detached from the way the issue is discussed in the papers and on TV. And certainly, I'm forever hearing people - students and teachers it has to be said - moaning about how out of date the texts, and indeed the discipline itself can be on this topic. So how can we relate the licence fee debates to what we learn about mass media in sociology?
read more...»Latest Crime Statistics
The Sun's Take on the Latest Crime Stats The Sun says we can't trust the latest crime stats - statistics alone cannot reveal the truth about crime. Which begs the question, what can?
read more...»No Country for Old Men
Quiz 2 Answers
Quiz 2 Answers Quiz 2 answers are below. Don't look until you have done as much as you can.
read more...»Quick Quiz 2
Quiz 2 The Family and Households Students need quizzes. Here's my latest. They are just very simple, quick, messy stuff - no proper marks. Just use it to help remind you of some basics.
1. What is structural differentiation and who talks about it?
2. What are the names of the two sociologists who criticised Parson's views on the isolated nuclear family on the basis of historical accuracy?
3. What is the name of the 1960s psychiatrist who criticised the family?
4. What are LATs?
5. What is a nuclear family?
6. What is the difference between a family and a household?
7. What is polygamy?
8. What is assortative mating?
9. Name one matriarchal society.
10. Who wrote 'The Sociology of Housework'?
Media Effects
Media Effects - Does Advertising Work There's a nice piece of anecdotal evidence in Mark Lawson's column in The Guardian today which should be useful for any student studying the Media option at AS level.
read more...»Shift Happens
Shift Happens Today lets take a look at an incredibly powerful and provocative online presentation on education and social change. It was made by some American high school teachers a couple of years ago and its become quite well known in some educational circles. Dig in.
read more...»Research Ethics
Who Pays for Sociology?
Who Pays for Sociology, Who Wants Sociological Research? Students are often a bit perplexed about who the hell sociologists are anyway, and who pays them. So - a few remarks on this.
read more...»The Myerson Family
The downside of Family Life Like Libby Purves in The Times I've been trying to avoid mentioning the Myerson's, but as everyone else is, well, why not? Whatever your views on the rights and wrongs of the case, for the sociology student it does at least offer a fresh example to put alongside all that rather tired stuff in the textbooks about R.D. Laing, and what the texts and specifications love to call 'the dark side' of the family.
read more...»Watch the Earth Breathing
Sociology should take you around the World I heard about this website called Breathing Earth on the BBC's Click programme. OK, the AS/A2 specs don't have much about demography, but not everything worth learning is always on the syllabus or comes up in an exam.
read more...»Age Old Problem
Is Age a Natural Phenomenon I've always had trouble convincing students that age is -at least in part - a social construction. Now at last, here's a bit of evidence to help me in my battle against the forces of darkness (students - whoops, no, only joking). The Independent reports a judgement from the European Court which rejected claims that the UK policy on retirement amounted to age discrimination. Look in The Guardian and you'll see their leader certain thinks it's about time we changed our laws about retirement. And 'Motty'- football commentator John Motson - thinks he's better than ever, age 63.
read more...»Are all state schools equal?
School Admissions I've always said, only half jokingly, to anyone who would listen - If you want a successful school, choose your pupils carefully. So it's nice to see Peter Wilby agreeing with me.
The surest way to turn a bad school into a good one is to change the pupils who attend it, according to Peter Wilby in The Guardian. Wilby argues thus:
The government tries to make allowances for differing intakes by publishing 'value-added' scores. If parents took this seriously they would clamour to send their children into Islington and Lambeth, and away from Kent, but they don't. In effect, then, schools are judged on their intake. If one school achieves a better intake, the less able children blight another nearby school. The latest big idea to overcome this is to introduce random allocation (crudely, lotteries). But the idea is fraught with practical difficulties. The truth is that Britain has a problem with school admissions because it is a grossly unequal society. Schools wouldn't have such grossly dissimilar intakes if extremes of wealth and disadvantage were not so great.We need to face the truth. Britain has a problem with school admissions because it is a grossly unequal society, in which rich and poor are segregated. Schools wouldn't have such grossly dissimilar intakes - and such dramatically contrasting results - if extremes of wealth and disadvantage, which Labour has reduced only marginally if at all since 1997, were not so great. The never-ending debate about pupil admissions and bad schools is a diversion. We have a social and economic problem, and we have to tackle that before we have a hope of curing educational problems.
No marks for guessing which sociological perspectives that comes from. As I've indicated, Wilby's point of view also reflects my own viewpoint. But let's exercise the sociological imagination; how would opposing theoretical perspectives counter this argument?
Ann Widdecombe on Zero Tolerance
The Fear of Crime and Zero Tolerance You might not expect a sociology teacher to be directing you to articles by ex-Conservative Minister Ann Widdecombe in The Express but teachers need to challenge stereotypes and point out sociological ideas wherever they may be lurking. By the way, The Express website is not right up to date so it may take a day or two for the article to turn up on line. Anyway, to cut to the chase, in today's paper, Widdecombe bemoans the spread of the fear of crime throughout the UK - and indeed, its a problem which has been noted by those from many different positions in the political and sociological spectrum.
Widdecombe argues that the way to reduce fear of crime is to rekindle trust and a key element in doing that, she says, is to take a zero tolerance approach to crime. Zero tolerance is a policy approach but it has roots in several sociological theories: right realism, communitarianism, and control theory. The weaknesses of an approach like zero tolerance are that it operates with a highly selective view of crime, usually focusing on street crime, theft and violence. Important as these are, they are only one element of crime. Zero tolerance also tends to share the assumption of the right realists that crime starts small and inevitably gets worse - which may not always be the case. It also tends to assume that there is a consensus in society about what crime is - or in Widdecombe's case - that there is a consensus about what people are frightened of. It would be interesting to consider whether different social groups are frightened of different things.
City Boy Warns of End of Capitalism
Sociology Makes the City Pages OK, my title is a bending it a bit, but still, its good to see a bit of sociology appearing in the financial pages, even if you argue that you might expect that in The Independent. The first seven paragraphs or so of Stephen King's article in yesterday's Independent provide a useful piece of stimulus material which can help sociology students evaluate Marxist theory. It does nicely illustrate the point that the theories of society prevalent at any particular time tend to reflect the dominant assumptions and conditions. Can we expect Marxism, after a lull since the heady days of the late 70s and early 80s, to suddenly become more fashionable? And if the Chief Economist of HSBC thinks its worth knowing a bit of sociology, its worth taking a note. Mind you, the reader comment/s underneath King's article show that not everyone is so impressed. Indeed, critics of HSBC might say this explains everything - see elsewhere in the business pages and todays' Independent for more on HSBC's troubles.
6 Nations Sociology
Scotland v Italy Call me a bitter Englishman if you must, but during a tough weekend's couch spectating, I couldn't help noting a brief sociological point during the Scotland/Italy match.
McLean makes a try-stopping tackle on Danielli.
But who is playing for who? Well, obviously, as soon as I say that, you'll guess. Luke McLean was playing for Italy and Danielli for Scotland. And of course only a year or two back there was Dallaglio of England and Marsh (I think?) of France. And doubtless you can find or know of others.
Luke McLean is a Kiwi (New Zealander) who gets Italian eligibility from his grandmother. Danielli - I don't know about for sure. I may be wrong - and apologies if so - but it sounds like there's some Italian ancestry somewhere in the family with a name like that.
So what's all this about? What's the sociology?
Discuss - can you think of any more examples?
Mickey Mouse Degrees?
Mickey Mouse Degrees There was a provocative little package on BBC 24 yesterday, warning that there are too many graduates chasing too few jobs; there will apparently be around 300,000 graduates this year and only about 30,000 graduate jobs. Unfortunately the package doesn't seem to have been posted up on the BBC website. Maybe it will turn up soon, but nonetheless it is certainly food for thought for all sociology students. Check out this article in The Guardian which shows one reason why the package was newsworthy. John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, wants more vocational degree courses. Predictably the BBC dragged on Chris Woodhead, former Chief Inspector of Ofsted, to slate what he called 'Mickey Mouse Degrees'. Woodhead says there are too many bad degree courses, and students are simply taking on a lot of debt to do courses which won't guarantee them a job and which employers do not value.
Time to apply some sociological skills. Which perspective best explains the expansion of higher education in the UK over the last few years? Is it the Marxist or the Functionalist account? For a Weberian take on the 'Mickey Mouse' charge, see below.
read more...»End of the Week Quick Quiz 1
Quick Quiz 1 OK, here's a very brief, and I'm afraid today, a rather messy quiz. In future I'll aim to make this available as loadable documents, but today, well, needs must. Today the quiz has questions mainly focussing on a couple of AS topics. It's hard to know exactly what readers are teaching/studying at the moment, but I hope this will be a useful ten or fifteen minute filler for all. If you'd like to comment on the format, types of questions, please do so.
So, here we go. 1. What's the term for using a variety of research methods? 2. Name two functionalist sociologists. 3. Who wrote the book, 'The Rise of the Meritocracy'? 4. How many 'aptitudes' were identified in the 1944 Education Act and what were they? 5. What sort of theoretical perspective does the sociologist Howard Becker adhere to? 6. What is the means of production? 7. Which Spanish sociologist wrote 'The Information Age'? 8. How many universities are there in the UK? 9. Who recently said that institutional racism was no longer a problem in the Metropolitan Police Force? 10. Which American sociologist developed the concept of an underclass? Answers below - don't cheat!
read more...»Teenage Pregancies
Teenage Pregnancy - Are we having a moral panic? Well well, who says the family is a boring topic? The case of Alfie Patten the other week seems to have provoked quite a bit more coverage on the topic. As The Guardian reported last week, such reports aren't always quite so simple as they seem.
Today and yesterday the saga continues, with an interesting episode of The Moral Maze and a nice interview with nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow on today's Daily Politics.
It's all kicking off, but before your class erupts into debate lets try to tie down a few sociological issues. Are we in the midst of a (nother) moral panic about teenage pregnancy? Stan Cohen, who developed the concept, said that moral panics always involved several stages. First there was the identification of a social problem. It is reported in a sensationalised and distorted fashion leading to further reports and a spiral of official action. All of these stages act only to 'amplify' and distort the original problem.
Another useful concept which can be applied here is Howard Becker's notion of moral entrepreneurs. These are people who have the power to create or enforce rules, and they can in effect 'profit' by drawing attention to deviance and infractions of society's rules.
Are we seeing a moral panic about teenage pregnancy? Who, if anyone, do you think is acting in the role of moral entrepreneur in the current round of reporting.
Disability and Media Representation
Dustbins for Disavowal? News today that David Cameron's disabled son, Ivan, has died, ought to prompt us to reflect on the way that disability is socially constructed, as well as the way that the media represent disability. The sociologist Tom Shakespeare, who himself suffers from achondroplasia, argues that the media overwhelmingly presents disability in a negative light. Now you may find this a puzzling viewpoint, but Shakespeare argues that the 'disabled' are in fact often very able; it all depends what sort of abilities you are talking about. Moreover, Shakespeare has made the point that his difficulty in using the London Underground largely arises from the way it has been designed - without regard for achondroplasics - dwarfs. If you make buildings which assume that everyone is a certain height and has two arms and two legs, then those who do not have those physical capabilities will find movement difficult.
Tom Shakespeare comes up with the memorable line that contemporary culture portrays the disabled as 'dustbins for disavowal'. What he means is that society tries to ignore the disabled and in a way to try and deny their very existence.
How could you sociologically research and test these claims?
The Sociology of Primark
The Sociology of Primark
As promised yesterday here's a few brief thoughts about Primark. First though, a quick reference back to yesterday's posting, given that Gail Trimble - or was it Corpus Christi - actually won University Challenge. As I said yesterday, a few questions about football could have swung the result the other way. Ahem, so you may note, knowledge is not just about class; it is also gendered.
read more...»Slumdog Millionaire v Trimble
Welcome back after what I hope has been a great half-term break for you all. I've been busy myself with a sociologically stimulating visit to Primark (see more tomorrow) and a trip to the cinema to catch Slumdog Millionaire. But now, the big question of the day is - where do you stand in regard to Slumdog v Trimble? You must all know who Trimble is surely? The new found star of Univesity Challenge who seems able to rack up points with her brain still in first gear. The poor girl has come in for a fair bit of criticism on the web, but that's showbiz for you. But irrespective of where you stand on the Trimble like/dislike issue, the whole incident is nicely pulled into sociological perspective by Slumdog. The lead character, Jamal Malik has some interesting lines when he's being questioned by the police. The general thrust of questioning is - how could some character from the slums know enough to answer all the questions on Millionaire? One implication is that only by cheating could he have done so well. Another is that the poor are stupid.
read more...»On the Buses - New Wars of Religion?
Whatever happened to secularization? An article in today's Independent got me thinking about secularization- not for the first time in recent months. Tony Grayling, professor of philosophy at Birkbeck College London, welcomes the launch of a national federation of atheist, humanist and secular societies, saying it's one of the brightest things to have happened this winter. Grayling's own slant is that the discipline of the scientific approach to life "makes short work of the foundation of today's religions, which lie in the ignorance of people living several millennia ago."
Well, I'm not a signed up believer myself, but even to my sceptical ears that sounds just a bit harsh. Religion though is surely becoming a fascinating topic area, invigorated by a contemporary revival of religious debate. You've no doubt seen some of the press coverage of Richard Dawkins following publication of his book 'The God Delusion' back in 2006, yet still bobbing up on the media radar. For me the most intriguing sights have been the posters stuck on to London buses, one set of ads proclaiming that God exists and a rival ad refuting the claim!
With all this social activity, I just find it difficult to see how those such as Prof Steve Bruce can so confidently assert that we do in fact live in a secularized society. Maybe we need to turn more to Durkheim? Or maybe science and religion can in fact, co-exist in a world where knowledge is perhaps more contested than some of the sociology books have sometimes tended to imply.
Sociology and the Financial Crisis
Durkheim and the Financial Crisis If you're interested in reflecting on what sociology can tell us about the financial crisis, then follow the link to an episode of R4's Thinking Allowed. Laurie Taylor talks with Steven Lukes about the relevance of Durkheim's analysis. It's good stuff. For Durkheim, periods of economic crisis lead to the breakdown of norms and values - and the way in which they are regulated. The resulting anomie - literally normlessness - leads to a reduction in social integration and an increase in egoistic suicide. Lukes recalls the testimony of one of his students in New York who lives in a block favoured by finance workers. Back in October the day that the news of Lehman brothers broke, there was an extremely sombre mood, streaked with small-scale aggressive behaviour. As Lukes notes, its a social condition with psychological effects. R4 Thinking Allowed - Durkheim and the Financial Crisis
Tabloid Crimes
I was intrigued to read the thoughts of Stephen Pollard in today's Daily Express. Pollard is one of many journalists - tabloid and broadsheet - who like to point out how soft the criminal justice system is. But it's interesting to look at his article from a sociological perspective. Pollard picks up two recent cases which he believes illustrate how our justice system has been corrupted by liberal do-gooders. A man in Scotland has been imprisoned for two months for a breach of the peace, after he broke into a drug dealer's house and flushed the man's heroin down the toilet. In another case -widely reported yesterday- a Portugeuse lorry driver was jailed for three years after six people died in an accident caused by his negligence.
Firstly, a socio-legal point. The idea of the rule of law means that nobody is above the law. If someone has sold your child drugs, that does not give you the right to take the law into your own hands and commit a crime in the course of administering what you consider to be a fair punishment. Sociologically - it's interesting how some people or groups of people (I include journalists!) seem to think that the law does not apply to them.
read more...»A Higher Class of Failure?
The Rich are Different From You and I- It was Ernest Heminway who swiftly replied to this assertion - "Yes, they have more money". Ah, yes, but are they more intelligent?
There's an interesting angle on the appearance of top bankers before the Treasury Select Committee on Friday in today's Telegraph. Andy Hornby, former chief executive of HBOS was- predictably perhaps- asked what qualifications he had in banking. Hornby had to reply that he had none; although he was able to say that he had an MBA from Harvard and had specialised in all the finance courses. Not sure if that's exactly the sort of ringing endorsement the Harvard Business School will be keen to publicise, but there it is. So the question arises - does the education system (consider the UK and the US as essentially the same) really select the best and the brightest?
read more...»Moral Decline and Moral Panic?
There's a thoughtful piece in The Times today from David Aaronovitch which covers a number of issues of interest to sociologists. You may have caught an episode of the Channel 4 series, "Boys and Girls Alone". It's a bit like a televised version of Lord of the Flies. The programme has been heavily criticised by viewers and in the press. The programme makers have defended themselves against criticism by arguing that the programme is a valuable social experiment that tells us a great deal about human nature. but Aaronovitch is critical of the idea that the programme is in any way a valuable social experiment. As Aaronovitch goes on to argue, people moan on about CCTV and ID cards, yet are prepared to connive in the invasion of the privacy of minors in this way, simply to be entertained, or to have their prejudices about youngsters apparently confirmed.
Aaronovitch also links in a comment about the case of the 13-year-old father Alfie Patten, arguing that it is depressing, although predictable that what he calls the 'moral declinists' should choose to use the Patten baby as a symbol of our broken society.
read more...»Welcome to the Sociology Blog
Welcome to our new Sociology Blog. The aim of this blog is to provide sociology teachers and students with resources, news and other materials which help support their studies. We'll try to cover a wide range of topics across the GCSE and A Level specifications.
Would you like to contribute to this blog? Experienced or enthusiastic sociology teachers are welcome to join the authoring team. Blogging is a rewarding process and a great CPD activity too! If you would like to get involved, please contact tutor2u using this form
Sociology Categories
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text: Weather Alert: The Law School is open today, Thursday, March 5. All regularly scheduled classes and events will take place. Visit www.brooklaw.edu/alerts for more details. Academics / Curriculum print Curriculum CourseDescriptions Coursesby Area ClinicalOfferings First-YearProgram UpperclassCurriculum JD DegreeRequirements Psychiatry and Criminal Law Credits: 3.00 Faculty: Stuart Kleinman, Gerald Shargel This course examines the interplay between psychiatry and the criminal justice system, and the relationship between mental illness and criminal conduct. Topics of discussion will include the insanity defense, competency to stand trial, false confessions, posttraumatic stress disorder, amnesia, malingering, personality disorders and substance abuse. Throughout the semester, a number of renowned forensic psychiatrists, including Stuart Klienman, M.D, will join the class as guest speakers.Grading and Method of EvaluationLetter grade with pass/fail option. Students may write a paper in lieu of the exam. Experience Prof. Steven Dean's Tax Policy class. Related Links: Apply Top Reasons to Attend BLS Faculty Directory Law Journals Our Certificate Programs Descriptions & Requirements Certificate in Entrepreneurship Law Certificate in Business Law Certificate in Criminal Law Certificate in IP, Media, and Information Law Certificate in International Law Certificate in Real Estate Law Academic Calendar 2014-2016 Why BLS? A wide-reaching curriculum with options for individual focus.


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Okay, okay! Since we are being different this week, you know that I had to go all out. I might as well take advantage of it right? Anyways, I was looking around today trying to find something new and different to write about in my blog, and was having ZERO luck. But, because I am trying to post things that I normally wouldn't, I figured that this would be the perfect time to mix things up. I find that these pictures are technically art, even though they are more funny than anything, and therefore have grounds to post them on my site.
This just so happens to be for all of you who are disappointed that it's only Tuesday. The below photos showcase animals who are also disappointed, only this time because of you.
See more disappointing photos here!
Now go enjoy your visual (& funny) hearts out!


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Home → Early College → Information & Resources
Early College Information & Resources
The following documents, press releases, blog entries, survey data and other items have played a role in guiding and chronicling the work of Maine's Early Post-Secondary Task Force.
- Early College in Maine: Expanding Opportunities (PDF), Mitchell Institute, January 2008
- Early College Policies and Participation at Maine High Schools (PDF), Mitchell Institute, March 2011
- UMFK Launches Maine's First Early College High School Initiative, University of Maine at Fort Kent, March 1, 2011
- Executive Order Establishing the Governor's Task Force on Expanding Early Post-Secondary Access, July 26, 2011
- New task force to focus on educational opportunities for Maine students, Press Release, July 26, 2011
- Bridging our 'skills gap' long-term, Commissioner Stephen Bowen, Sept. 14, 2011
- Governor announces appointments to task force on early postsecondary education, Press Release, Sept. 19, 2011
- Early College Programs in the University of Maine System (PDF), Oct. 2011
- Better engagement, better preparation, Commissioner Stephen Bowen, Oct. 6, 2011
- Challenging times, and a path forward, Commissioner Stephen Bowen, Oct. 31, 2011
- Early College Task Force Survey Questions (PDF, 309KB), closed Nov. 17, 2011
- Early College Task Force Survey Results (PDF, 917KB), Nov. 18, 2011
- Interim Task Force Report: "Expanding Access, Increasing Participation" (PDF, 138KB), Jan. 27, 2012
- Report calls for expanded access to college courses for high school students, Press Release, Jan. 30, 2012
Existing Early College Programs
Note: This list is merely a sampling of early post-secondary education programs available to Maine students and is not meant to be a full representation of available opportunities.
- Academ-e - Online early college classes, University of Maine
- AP4ALL - Online Advanced Placement classes for Maine students, Maine DOE
- Bridge Program, Bowdoin College and University of Maine at Augusta
- College for ME - Androscoggin Early College Program
- Early College for ME, Maine Community College System
- Early Study - Aspirations Program, University of Southern Maine
- EDGE Program, Thomas College
- High School Aspirations Incentive Program, University of Maine at Augusta
- On Course for College, Maine Community College System
- Summer Scholars Program, Bates College
- YoUMA, University of Maine at Augusta


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NRDC: Indian Office Building Retrofit is Exemplar
A retrofit of the iconic Godrej Bhavan office building in South Mumbai that cut its electricity costs by 28 percent shows that such projects are practical and profitable in India's rapidly transforming building stock, according to the National Resources Defense Council.
As described in the case study, Saving Money and Energy: Case Study of the Energy-Efficiency Retrofit of the Godrej Bhavan Building in Mumbai, Godrej & Boyce upgraded the six-story South Mumbai building in 2010 after decades of paying high electricity bills. By implementing comprehensive energy-efficiency and sustainability features – including efficient cooling and lighting systems, energy management and metering, and water flow metering – Godrej Bhavan has achieved what BRDC calls "significant" financial and environmental quality benefits for the building owners and occupants.
Two years after the upgrade, Godrej Bhavan's electricity use has already dropped by more than 12 percent, representing a 28.6 percent savings in electricity costs. The company is on track to quickly recover the costs of its energy efficiency retrofits. Electricity bill savings alone will allow Godrej & Boyce to pay back retrofit costs of Rs. 5,384,000 ($99,334) in as little as 4.7 years. Fifteen years after the upgrade, Godrej & Boyce could realize up to Rs. 6,980,000 ($128,781) in cumulative electric bill savings.
Godrej Bhavan's experience provides other building owners and real estate developers with an example of real-world payback scenarios for efficiency upgrades and important lessons learned, NRDC says. These include ensuring top-level support among business and building owners for efficiency and cost-saving targets; taking advantage of low-hanging efficiency opportunities, including upgrades to HVAC, lighting, and building management systems; and training building staff to analyze and improve on the energy performance of building operations.
This case study comes on the tail of historic blackouts in July 2012, which left 700 million people without power, revealing the severity of India's energy crisis. As India continues to urbanize, its building-occupied area is estimated to climb sharply, from 8 billion square meters in 2005 to a projected 41 billion square meters in 2030, according to McKinsey & Company. Long-term cost savings available through energy efficiency present real estate developers with the opportunity to gain market advantage by constructing energy-efficient buildings from the start, NRDC says.
A Verdantix report released last year used the 2012 energy shortfall in India to highlight the country as a place where more firms make energy-management decisions high up the corporate ladder than in developed nations.
4 Reasons Operations Teams Can't Live Without Real-Time Building Data
Why bring buildings online? What information can operations teams glean from real-time data that they can't just get from the monthly data provided by utility companies? Click to learn more.
- Existing Building Technologies Combine for Increased Savings
- The Future of Operational Risk Management: The Oil & Gas and Chemicals Approach
- Combined Heat and Power
- 2014 Environmental Leader Product and Project Awards
- Improve Your Company's Environment and Energy Performance
- Energy Financing Report
- Unlocking the Value of Energy & Operational Data
- Let's Do The Math for DR
- Increase the Value of Demand Response Through Automation
- 2013-2014 Winter Polar Vortex
- Cut Costs and Improve Facility Operations with Energy Data
- Energy Procurement Strategies for Winter 2014 and 2015
- Energy Efficiency Requires Engineering Efficiency
- Integrated Building Optimization: A Crucial Convergence of Demand-side and Supply-Side Energy Management Strategies
- Driving Productivity and Profit with Industrial Energy Management


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Customer: Yeah. I'd like to rent these movies.
Store Employee: Uh.Romance movies?
Customer: Well. They are form my daughter
Store Employee: Right. It's okay. Well, do you have your membership card?
Customer: No I don't. Do I need one to rent videos here?
Store Employee: Yes, but it's free. It's just a card we use to help us keep track of video rentals and customer billing. So, please fill out this membership form.
Customer: Okay, how much are movie rentals anyway?
Store Employee: Well, new releases are $3.50 (Okay), and all other movies are two dollars (Alright), and you can rent up to six movies at a time. (Hum) We also have a five buck special where you can rent any five movies for $5.00 (Hum), but this doesn't include new releases.
Customer: Oh, well, I'll just take these tonight.
Store Employee: Okay, let's see . . . your total tonight comes to seven dollars and fifty cents.
Customer: And when do I need to return them?
Store Employee: They have to be returned on Thursday by ten o'clock PM.
Customer: Okay.
Store Employee: And there is an overdue late fee equal to the rental fee of the video, so be sure to return them on time.
Store Employee: And enjoy your romance movies.
Customer: Okay. Thanks.


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'House of Cards' Needs to Read Up on Russia
"House of Cards" struggles to sustain credulity in the world of international politics.
"House of Cards" struggles to sustain credulity in the world of international politics.
The World Wide Web seems to be suffering from collective winter boredom.
It's now fashionable to blame the West for all manner of social (and personal) ills.
From Argentina to Mali to Russia, this year's crop of Academy Award contenders provide a reality check on life abroad.
The truth about Washington is a figment of Hollywood's imagination.
The Academy Award-nominated film "Timbuktu" explores the war within Islam.
For 40 years the show has skewered world leaders and their politicking with satire and slapstick -- and the world is a better place for it.
Authorities hope the saccharine 'Little Apple' can calm tensions in the western region.
Forget rote memorization and pressure-packed tests -- Western, alternative learning is the new rage.
Dunsinane, a play about the English occupation of Scotland after the death of Macbeth, is really good. And to my surprise, it is one of the best works of art I have seen on the American occupation of Iraq.
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Police are at the scene of a crash on the A47 at Norwich
Victoria Leggett
Thursday, January 10, 2013
A crash between a van and a tractor on the A47 Norwich bypass is causing queues for rush hour traffic.
Police said no-one was injured in the collision which happened just before 5.45pm between the A140 and A146 junctions.
It is affecting the eastbound carriageway.
A police spokesman said the road was still open but was likely to have queues because of the volume of traffic using the road.
3 comments
Now Now Children! :)
Friday, January 11, 2013
Dream on! Cars are here to stay thankfully. I enjoy driving one of my three cars through the countryside and green fields and long may it continue.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
That one day when cars dont rule the world when road building and tarmac ceases.no more asaults on the countryside and green fields,Accidents a rarity More Roads more traffic and it goes on
Thursday, January 10, 2013
The views expressed in the above comments do not necessarily reflect the views of this site


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Current Insights On Treating Ankle Fractures In Patients With Diabetes
There has also been argument against non-surgical intervention for diabetic ankle fractures. In a report by Connelly and Csencsitz, five patients with insulin-dependent diabetes received conservative treatment with casting for ankle fractures.5 All patients experienced at least one complication including infection, Charcot arthropathy and malunion. In their series of six ankle fractures, one resulted in a major amputation. The authors of this paper suggested that early surgical treatment is preferable to avoid poor outcomes with diabetic ankle fractures.
A displaced diabetic ankle fracture warrants surgical attention. However, surgeons must take steps in order to reduce the complications in patients with diabetes undergoing surgical intervention.
Bibbo and coworkers discussed the significance of adhering to a treatment protocol to help produce a favorable outcome for diabetic ankle fractures.3 First, one should assess the fracture type and bone and soft tissue quality since this will influence the treatment path. If necessary, perform closed reduction of a grossly disfigured ankle fracture to avoid ischemic complications and wound development. At this point, one should assess the stability of the ankle fracture. If one cannot maintain reduction in a splint, consider other alternatives to promote stability. Options at this point include immediate ORIF versus external fixation. External fixators can allow for staged surgical intervention in very unstable ankle fractures or facilitate definitive treatment.
Authors have shown low wound complication rates with a staged protocol in patients with high-energy pilon fractures.22,23 In this scenario, patients with high-energy pilon fractures are comparable to patients with diabetic ankle fractures since both are at high risk for wound complications and require a period of soft tissue stabilization before open treatment.
However, since patients with diabetes are at greater risk, it may be more difficult to avoid complications despite the attempt to do so. Strategies for treatment of an ankle fracture with complications can include: multiple debridements, use of an external fixator for stability and accommodation of soft tissue problems, antibiotics, antibiotic-impregnated implants, wound closure with flaps and/or skin grafts, and arthrodesis for definitive treatment.
Zalavras and colleagues retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of 26 patients without diabetes treated for infection following operative treatment of ankle fractures.24 Eleven of these patients presenting up to 10 weeks postoperatively had debridement with hardware retention if the fracture and hardware was stable. Fifteen patients presenting 11 weeks or more postoperatively had debridement and removal of hardware. Three of the 26 patients required soft tissue coverage via a sural flap after debridement. Patients also received culture-specific antibiotics. Infection recurred in five of 18 patients upon follow-up, three of which were controlled with repeat debridement. The remaining two patients required below knee amputations. This study highlights the difficulty in treating complicated ankle fractures. In this case, the ankle fractures were complicated by postoperative infection.
In Conclusion
Patients with diabetes who experience ankle fractures are at more risk for complications than non-diabetics. Neuropathy, vasculopathy, delayed fracture healing and Charcot arthropathy can turn a routine ankle fracture into a limb-threatening situation. Proper management of diabetes and tight glycemic control are key to avoiding complications. Consult vascular specialists immediately when there is evidence of ischemia or PAD that needs to be evaluated and addressed before planned treatment.
Many conservative and surgical treatment options exist, but maintaining stability and managing the soft tissue envelope are essential in minimizing complications. When complications arise in diabetic ankle fractures, strategies consisting of multiple surgeries and adjunct treatments are required to prevent limb loss.


text: Abby the Good Witch and the evil wizard gamesBookmark the permalink. Release date: Dec 17th, 2011 Price: 1.99 Version: 1.2 Seller: ZigZag Studio Sp. z o.o. Buy Now STP SCORE: Not yet reviewed Description Related Games Wake the Cat Pudding Monsters Karateka Skee-Ball 2 Mutant Fridge Mayhem – Gumball Power Rangers Legends Pou Mensa Academy Kumo Lumo One Tap Hero™


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Despite a challenging environment for retail pharmacy and consumer spending, Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. posted healthy sales and earnings gains for its fiscal 2011 fourth quarter and full year.
Retail News Breaks Archives
TORONTO – Despite a challenging environment for retail pharmacy and consumer spending, Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. posted healthy sales and earnings gains for its fiscal 2011 fourth quarter and full year.
Canada's largest drug chain said Thursday that for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, total revenue rose 4.3% year over year to nearly $2.61 billion (Canadian), fueled by moderate sales growth in pharmacy and robust business in the front end. Same-store sales in the quarter were up 3.4%
Prescription sales grew 2.8% overall to about $1.18 billion in the quarter and increased 2.3% on a same-store basis. Total script count climbed 3.9% and was up 3.8% on a comparable-store basis. Generic drugs represented 57.1% of prescriptions dispensed versus 55.7% in the prior-year period. In the quarter, prescriptions accounted for 45.2% of the company's sales, down slightly from 45.8% a year earlier.
In the front end, sales surged 5.5% in the fourth quarter to $1.43 billion, with robust gains seen in the beauty, candy and convenience food categories, according to Shoppers Drug Mart. Same-store sales in the front end rose 4.4%. The company noted that its efforts to expand selling space chainwide have helped drive front-end sales growth, along with strong marketing campaigns and promotions, seasonal programs and store-level execution.
Quarterly earnings were in line with financial analysts' forecast. For the fourth quarter, net income advanced 4.2% to $176 million, or 82 cents per diluted share, versus $168.9 million, or 78 cents per diluted share, a year ago. On average, analysts projected earnings per share of 82 cents.
Shoppers Drug Mart said the strong front-end performance was partially offset by continued investments in pricing and promotional activities, as well as by further sales and margin pressure in the pharmacy because of drug system reform initiatives in a number of provinces. However, the chain added that earnings also benefitted from cost reduction, productivity and efficiency initiatives in comparable stores, which partially offset higher operating expenses at store level related to network growth and expansion efforts.
"We are pleased with our fourth-quarter and full-year results for fiscal 2011. Considering the many challenges that we faced as a company this past year, I am encouraged by our operating and financial performance," Shoppers Drug Mart president and chief executive officer Domenic Pilla said in a statement.
"Looking ahead, the strength of our brand, the quality of our assets and the power of our value proposition, together with the dedication and commitment of our associate-owners and their teams at store level, have us well-positioned to confront the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities in the rapidly evolving pharmacy marketplace," Pilla added.
For the 52-week fiscal 2011 period, overall sales climbed 2.6% to about $10.46 billion. Same-store sales edged up 1.9%, reflecting increases of 3.2% in the front end and 0.6% in the pharmacy. Total revenue grew 4.4% to almost $5.5 billion in the front end and by 0.8% to nearly $5 billion in the pharmacy. Script count was up 3.8% on both a total and a same-store basis. In 2011, prescription revenue represented 47.8% of total sales, down from 48.7% a year earlier.
Net earnings in 2011 rose 3.7% to $614 million, or $2.84 per diluted share, from $592 million, or $2.72 per diluted share, in 2010.
Shoppers Drug Mart said that in 2011 it opened or acquired 56 drug stores, including 32 relocations, and consolidated or closed eight smaller drug stores, completed 25 major drug store expansions and converted 49 existing drug stores to smaller prototypes. As of Dec. 31, the retailer had 1,257 drug stores (1,199 Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix stores and 58 Shoppers Simply Pharmacy/Pharmaprix Simplement Santé stores), 63 Shoppers Home Health Care stores and eight Murale luxury beauty stores.
Looking ahead to fiscal 2012, Shoppers Drug Mart projects total sales to rise 2.5% to 3.0%, with same-store sales growth of 0.5% to 1.5% in pharmacy and 2.0% to 2.5% in the front end. Prescription count growth is pegged at about 4%, but the company noted that the impact of increased generic drug use and reduced generic reimbursement rates will lower average prescription value. The chain didn't provide earnings guidance.
Plans for 2012 call for 40 to 45 new drug stores, including about 20 relocations, and up to 15 major drug store expansions. The retailer said between 25 and 30 drug stores also will be remodeled to smaller formats.


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The All-American Rejects
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The All-American Rejects Article
all american rejects
I realy love the AAR they're music is great my favourite song is either gives you hell or move along i love them both.Their songs can be found on youtube, music.com or spotify ect.If you want to fine more songs threre is also the following:move along, gives you hell, dirty little secret, kiss your self goodbye, my paper heart, one more sad song and alot more.If i were to give the AAR a rating out of ten it would be ten out of ten :D ok i hav 2 write a longer article so if your not currently a fan of the all american rejects they're style of music is rock/lyric music.
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Australian creatives came up with a scorching piece of ambient advertising for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre – a public hospital dedicated to cancer treatment, research and education. Given the harsh effects of sun exposure in Australia due to ozone depletion – I thought this beach-side banner spoke volumes.
Creative + Client Details at Osocio


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Weigh your words: Memory-based lemma-retrieval for Middle Dutch literary texts AbstractHowever vibrant the field of computational linguistics may be for modern languages, researchers have only recently gained interest in language technology for historic languages. The lack of annotated training data and the huge spelling variation so typical of the data, make it difficult to 'dive' into this kind of material. Moreover, rather basic tasks such as lemmatization -- considered 'solved' for many modern languages -- remain problematic, because existing technologies are hard to transfer to older stages of a language. Medieval Dutch (ca. 1200-1500), the focus language of this contribution, is indeed characterized by a huge amount of variation in spelling and spacing, a phenomenon due to a variety of factors: the absence of a written standard language, the phonologic nature of spelling, allography, clitics, ... In this paper we will focus on retrieving lemma-candidates ('nominees') for tokens by means of a lazy machine learner, trained on the literary part of the corpus-Gysseling (ca. 600K running tokens). When testing such a classifier, one is confronted with a large amount of 'unknown tokens' in the test set (on average 1 out of 20 tokens is unknown). These 'unknowns' fall into two major categories: tokens with lemmas (i.e. class labels) that were observed during training and tokens with lemmas that were not previously encountered (and as such cannot be classified because the class label is unknown to the classifier). Regarding the first category, we will demonstrate that a memory-based token classifier outperforms approved string metrics (such as the Levenshtein distance or Dice coefficient), both in efficiency and effectivity. This lightweighted classification technique is based on similarity metrics that operate on the alternation of consonantal and vocalic clusters in tokens. Regarding the second category (unknown tokens with unknown class labels), it appears that many of these are actually proper names. In order to remedy this lack of prior knowledge, we have turned to an important resource: the REMLT ("Repertory of proper names in Middle Dutch Literary Texts"). This repertory, containing a massive collection of proper names, as well as many of their spelling variants in medieval Dutch literature, was parsed from raw WordPerfect-files to meaningful XML. We will demonstrate the (unsurprisingly positive) effects of including this gazetteer-like information in our training material.
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Variable pricing is moving beyond airline seats.
By Steve Kelley, The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Creators Syndicate
By Donna Barstow, opedcartoons.com
A Korean Air Lines Airbus A380 on a demonstration flight at the Paris air Show in June. The airline is one of several that have renegotiated payment terms for price-fixing fines, arguing the penalties could push them into bankruptcy.
The most-recent fare hike at big U.S. airlines has been cut in half after low-cost rivals didn't play along. "Last week the big network carriers including United, Continental, Delta and American raised many domestic fares by $20 a round trip.
By Monday afternoon, the increase had been cut to $10" to match a smaller hike enacted by Southwest, JetBlue, Frontier and AirTran, The Associated Press writes.


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Most correctly installed rubber roofs are good for approximately 20 years.
Sometimes a better solution is constructing a pitched roof and installing a lifetime roofing product. It is more expensive upfront, but the long term headaches go away when you have a 50yr warranty - plus snow and rain have less chances to enter the building.
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We use Genflex EPDM 60 mil, the thickest flat roofing membrane available.
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If you are an existing user of our site there are a few important things you need to know
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We will miss our chats over the garden fence and the way you always had a smile, a lovely big smile. we could not of had a better neighbour. good night suzie xx
Peter,Tina,Charlotte and Finley Brisen.xx
Lieve Suzie, ik kan niet geloven dat je er niet meer bent. Je was voor mij een zeer dierbare vriendin. Ook al woonde je ver weg... Ik zal je stem en lach zo missen. Je was zo puur, oprecht, betrokken en een grote schat. Ik zal je vreselijk missen. Je zult voor altijd een speciale plek in mijn hart hebben. Ook voor mij was je als een engel. Nu ben je in God's Garden. Love xxx Mathilde (the Netherlands)
Dear Suzie, I can't believe you are not on earth anymore. You have left us so young. I know you are with Jesus in Heaven, which is the best place to be, where there is no illness or suffering and everything is perfect. I am missing you a lot as you were always very close to me. I remember all the times that we shared and how I always felt relaxed sharing things with you, especially the deeper things, like emotional things and also about God and Jesus and what He means to us and how we can encourage people with Jesus. I don't often feel so relaxed with people; you are such a special person. I also remember how caring and compassionate you are to people around you, you were always thinking of others and never about yourself. Like your family said, I feel the same. You are like an angel. May your influence continue to bless others and draw people to Jesus because that's what you would want. Love George xx
Susie (as I called you!) I can't believe you are gone. You were like a sister to me. I treasure the 24 years I have known you. You have always been in my thoughts and I will continue to remember you and the happy times we shared. I never stopped missing you or caring about you. You were always in my heart. You were my closest, most precious and lovely friend that I have ever had, and I doubt I will ever have another friend like you. 'An angel' we, as a family called you. Love, Kirst (as you called me!)


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Security footage shows a store clerk chase away a would-be robber with a machete.
(Jeff Gross, Getty Images) mlbJordan Lyles undergoes pitching makeover with Rockies with remade changeup When Jordan Lyles takes his spot in the Rockies rotation to start 2015, he'll be remaking himself into a Coors Field-appropriate pro. |
(Mark McDade / For the Camera) Weird science'Bullet-looking missile thing' turns heads along highway south of Boulder Lockheed says object part of 'sensor technology' testing that ended Thursday What the heck is that thing? It's fair to assume that question was on the minds of many people who traveled along Colo. 128 south of Boulder this week if they happened to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a large, silver projectile perched alongside the highway and pointed north toward town. |
(Kimberly Pierceall/AP) Graceland brings Elvis back to his Las Vegas home LAS VEGAS (AP) — Graceland will always be home, but Las Vegas is set to be Elvis Presley's home away from home yet again. Full Story |


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Contact Us
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Posted 2/1/2012
Printable Fact Sheet
U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet
Air Force Global Strike Command, activated Aug. 7, 2009, is a major command headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., in the Shreveport - Bossier City community. AFGSC is responsible for the Nation's three intercontinental ballistic missile wings, the two B-52 wings and the only B-2 wing.
Develop and provide combat-ready forces for nuclear deterrence and global strike operations -- safe, secure, effective -- to support the President of the United States and Combatant Commanders.
American Airmen with special trust and responsibility for the most powerful weapons in our Nation's arsenal ... an elite, highly disciplined team ... a model command.
What We Value
- Individual responsibility for mission success
- Critical self-assessment of our performance
- Uncompromising adherence to all directives
- Superior technical and weapons system expertise
- Pride in our nuclear heritage and mission
- Respect for the worth and dignity of every Airman
- Safety in all things large ... and small
Approximately 23,000 professionals are assigned to six wings, two geographically-separated squadrons and one detachment in the continental United States and deployed to locations around the globe. Major units and bases include: 20th Air Force at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., and the three ICBM wings under 20th Air Force -- the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.; the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Mont.; and the 91st Missile at Minot AFB, N.D.; 8th Air Force at Barksdale AFB, La. and the three bomber wings under 8th Air Force -- the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Mo.; the 2d Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La.; and the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, N.D. In addition, two squadrons, the 576th Flight Test Squadron at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., and the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron at Offutt AFB, Neb., fall under the command, as well an Air Operations Group at Otis Air National Guard Base in Mass., and a detachment at Langley Air Force Base, Va.
Eighth Air Force is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, in the Bossier City - Shreveport, La., metro area. The numbered air force supports U.S. Joint Forces Command, and is designated as U.S. Strategic Command's Task Force 204, providing on-alert, combat-ready forces to the President. The mission of "The Mighty Eighth" is to safeguard America's interests through strategic deterrence and global combat power. Eighth Air Force controls long-range nuclear-capable bomber assets throughout the United States and overseas locations. Its flexible, conventional and nuclear deterrence mission provides the capability to deploy forces and engage enemy threats from home station or forward positioned, anywhere, any time. The 8th Air Force motto is "Deterrence through strength, global strike on demand."
Twentieth Air Force, headquartered at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., also supports United States Strategic Command. A numbered air force for AFGSC, 20th Air Force is responsible for maintaining and operating the Air Force's ICBM force. Designated as STRATCOM's Task Force 214, 20th Air Force provides on-alert, combat-ready ICBMs to the President.
ICBM Capabilities
America's alert ICBMs are ready to launch on any given day, and America's ICBM team plays a critical role in maintaining global stability and ensuring the Nation's safety and security. 450 Minuteman III missiles provide a critical component of America's on-alert strategic forces. As the Nation's "silent sentinels," ICBMs, and the people who operate them, have remained on continuous, around-the-clock alert since 1959.
AFGSC is the Air Force's lead command for and largest operator of UH-1N Huey helicopters. The UH-1N supports ICBM operations in missile fields controlled by F.E. Warren AFB, Malmstrom AFB and Minot AFB.
Bomber Capabilities
The B-2 Spirit is a long-range nuclear and conventional stealthy bomber. The bomber can fly at high subsonic speeds at altitudes that can reach 50,000 feet. Its unrefueled range is at least 6,000 nautical miles. The B-2 brings massive firepower, in a short time, anywhere on the globe through the most challenging defenses.
The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, nuclear and conventional heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber can fly at high subsonic speeds at altitudes reaching 50,000 feet. It has an unrefueled combat range in excess of 8,800 miles. It can carry precision-guided ordnance with worldwide precision navigation.
January 12, 2009 - Air Force officials officially established Air Force Global Strike Command (Provisional) at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C. with supporting detachments at Air Combat Command and Air Force Space Command, and commanded by Brig. Gen. James M. Kowalski. The provisional command was responsible for implementing the Secretary of the Air Force's Program Action Directive and Programming Plan.
August 7, 2009 - Air Force Global Strike Command stood up and was tasked to oversee all of the U.S. Air Force's long-range nuclear-capable bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile forces in a ceremony at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. The ceremony was officiated by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, and attended by both Louisiana U.S. Senators, the governor of Louisiana and about 1,000 Airmen and guests.
December 1, 2009 - The command assumed the U.S. Air Force's Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile mission. With the assumption of 20th Air Force, the command gained three missile wings: the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.; the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Mont.; and the 91st Missile Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., including 20th Air Force's responsibility for all of the United States' 450 ICBMs. The 576th Flight Test Squadron at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., as well as the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron at Offutt AFB, Neb., also officially re-aligned under AFGSC. These units were previously part of Air Force Space Command.
February 1, 2010 - The command assumed the U.S. Air Force's strategic long-range nuclear-capable B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bomber missions. With the assumption of the 8th Air Force mission, the command gained three bomb wings: the 509th at Whiteman AFB, Mo., the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., and the 2d Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La. These units were previously part of Air Combat Command.
Command Emblem
The globe reflects the command's global capabilities and the golden wings represent the dominance in the air and reflect our lineage to the Army Air Corps. The blue field alludes to the sky, the primary domain of the Air Force. The star represents clarity of purpose to maintain readiness and deter adversaries. The red disc symbolizes past and present Airmen who have made individual sacrifices to achieve mission goals. The lightning flashes, symbolic of speed and power, represent our war-fighting mission should deterrence fail, and remind us of our lineage to Strategic Air Command.
January 2012
For more information please contact the Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs Office
318-456-1305 or 318-456-0819; DSN 781-1305 or 781-0819
245 Davis Ave. E. Room 240; Barksdale AFB, La. 71110
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