Obama authorizes $24 million for new aircraft as military firefighting planes sit idle

The government is bolstering the nation's rundown aerial firefighting fleet by taking steps to add seven large tanker planes. But the aircraft likely won't be available soon and several other firefighting planes are grounded as destructive wildfires rage in Colorado and New Mexico.

President Barack Obama signed a bill Wednesday hastening the addition of those aircraft at a cost of $24 million. The same day, two firefighting C-130 military transport planes sat on a tarmac in Cheyenne, shrouded in an eye-watering haze from a Colorado wildfire just a 15-minute flight away.

In all, eight workhorse C-130s stand ready to fight destructive wildfires around the country ? but all are grounded due to rules governing the use of the nation's aerial firefighting resources, and the new purchases probably won't be able to help firefighters for weeks, if not months.

"Getting into large, multiple wildfire scenarios, there's just not enough (aircraft) to go around in the current state," said Chuck Bushey, past president of the International Association of Wildland Fire, a professional association of people who fight wildfires.

Obama signed the bill at the urging of Colorado's congressional delegation, which was quick to praise the move.

Three planes are supposed to be ready by mid-August: Two BAe-146s from Missoula, Mont.-based Neptune Aviation Services, Inc., and one BAe-146 from Minden, Nev.-based Minden Air Corp. The BAe-146s are jet-powered.

The three will bring the Forest Service fleet to 20 large tanker planes ? a figure that includes the lease of eight planes on Monday from the state of California, the Canadian Interagency Fire Centre, and a private DC-10 based in California. Another 11 tankers, including the C-130s, can be called into service.

"This is a major milestone in our efforts to modernize the large air tanker fleet," Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said in a release about the President's bill signing.

Still, the eight Air National Guard C-130 cargo planes fitted to drop slurry sit in Wyoming, Colorado, California and North Carolina. The Forest Service says it may request the eight planes only when all private tanker planes already are fighting fires or are unavailable for use. The C-130 crews insist they're ready to roll on 48 hours' notice.

"We have no limiting factors in terms of personnel or equipment to respond," said Deidre Forster, spokeswoman for the Wyoming National Guard.

The C-130 has long been a staple of the nation's military, carrying troops, equipment and disaster relief worldwide. It is praised for its agility and durability.

Starting in the 1970s, C-130s were fitted with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems ? devices that carry 3,000 gallons of fire-retardant slurry that can be dropped in 5 seconds while a C-130 swoops as low as 150 feet above the ground. By contrast, the new planes authorized by Obama can carry 2,400 gallons of slurry.

Last year, the C-130s flew wildfire missions in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oregon and Mexico. Wyoming's MAFFS have been deployed as far away as Indonesia, in 1997, and most recently in Texas and Oregon last September.

But the Wyoming MAFFS just can't fly from Cheyenne, where the Wyoming Air National Guard is based. The airport is not among those designated as official staging area for attacking wildfires __ and it lacks built-in infrastructure for reloading planes with retardant.

The MAFFS units are installed on the planes when they're called into duty and can be removed to free up the planes for other uses.

The Forest Service, meanwhile, says it has all the air power it needs to work on northern Colorado's 78-square-mile High Park Fire.

The cost of the MAFFS varies depending on how much they're used ? anywhere from less than $2 million per year to almost $10 million over last year's busy fire season.

With drought and what has become a yearlong wildfire season, some experts insist as many as 50 planes, large and small, are needed nationwide, said Bill Gabbert, a wildfire blogger, veteran firefighter and owner of the Wildfiretoday.com website.

"You need to have air tankers responding within 25 or 30 minutes to new fires so they can slow them down quickly so that firefighters on the ground can put them out," Gabbert said. "But we no longer have that capability. So initial attack by aerial resources is a quaint memory."

The result: More small fires that become mega-fires and are far more expensive to fight than if they'd been snuffed out early, he said.

"Sure, it's expensive to contract for air tankers. But it's more expensive to pay the tens of millions of dollars when a few of those fires become very large," Gabbert said.

Tragedy got the U.S. tanker plane fleet to its current state.

The fleet numbered 44 planes a decade ago. A series of high-profile crashes, including wings that fell off a privately-owned C-130 and a 1940s-era PB4Y-2 Privateer in midflight, caused the Forest Service to ground 33 air tankers in 2004.

The Lockheed P2Vs, with eight still in the firefighting fleet, also have a history of fatalities. A P2V crashed in Utah last week, killing two pilots. Since 1990, the Cold War-era submarine attack planes have crashed at least seven times, killing 16.

Across the West:

? Arizona: A 480-acre wildfire near the Grand Canyon was 90 percent contained. A 2,860-acre fire and a 200-acre fire near Superior east of Phoenix were 50 percent contained.

? Colorado: The 81-square-mile High Park fire west of Fort Collins was 15 percent contained. Gov. John Hickenlooper banned open burning and private use of fireworks. Authorities determined that six small wildfires near the Breckenridge Nordic Ski Center were intentionally set.

? New Mexico: The Little Bear fire, which has scorched 59 square miles and destroyed at least 224 homes in the Sierra Blanca range near Ruidoso, has been 45 percent contained but firefighting officials expressed concern about continued dry and sunny conditions.

? Washington: A wildfire burned about 1,500 acres of sagebrush and grass between Othello and Royal City in south-central Washington.

___

Follow Mead Gruver at http://twitter.com/meadgruver

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A Dysfunctional Marriage ? By Hasan Rizvi ? International Political ...

Some relationships require marriage counselors. These counselors come in many forms. They can be close friends or even a professional whose sole aim in life is to resolve issues in relationships; these people are known as therapists. In many cases these so called therapists are seen to be quite useful, however there is one particular case which no therapist or counselor on earth can resolve: the relationship between the United States and Pakistan. This is most certainly a dysfunctional marriage.

Both parties have their fair share of issues. It would be completely irresponsible to blame one side. To get my point across, lets for instance say that the man in the relationship is Pakistan and the woman is the United States. The man in this relationship is seen as the one who goes around cheating, lying and not living up to its expectations, while, on the other hand, the woman is seen as ?bitchy?, ungrateful and blind to her own errors and mistakes.

The man is being pushed to the brink in this relationship and recently took the drastic step of hiding the car keys (reference to blocking the NATO supply route). Why? Because the woman is being accused of crashing the man?s favorite car, which, by the way is a 1965 Ford Mustang (reference to the 24 Pakistani troops killed by US forces). Where has this left the relationship? In complete chaos. The man refuses to give the car keys back to the woman until she apologizes, but the woman refuses to do so.

This is what the Pakistan-United States (so called) alliance is like at the moment. It is a stubborn tug of war with both party?s refusing to budge. The United States and its ego refuses to apologize for killing Pakistani troops, and, in anger, the Pakistani?s have blocked a crucial supply route for NATO. With the imminent withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan, the last thing the region needs is an unhappy Pakistan. The United States will pack up and leave, yes, but it is the Pakistanis who will share a border with the Afghans for life. One cannot solve Afghanistan without the inclusion of Pakistan.

Agreed, there is major mistrust between the two sides which further escalated with the infamous Abbotabad raid that apparently led to the killing of Osama along with the illegal drone attacks on Pakistani soil and yes, both sides should rightfully share the blame for this mistrust. The United States must recognize the sacrifices Pakistan has made by losing over 40,000 troops and countless civilians as well the $60 billion blow to the economy. At the same time the Pakistanis must understand the US is genuinely concerned about the future of Afghanistan and hence needs a guarantee from Pakistan.

The future for the Afghans looks bleak. That shouldn?t come as a surprise. Does Pakistan have concerns? Of course! The Pakistanis have to be included in the conversation for Afghanistan to be stable in the future. It is time the relationship with the United States evolves and the matters are resolved immediately. No counselor or therapist can fix this relationship. The power to fix it must come from the two, and if that does not happen then I?m afraid there will be nothing to gain, but a lot to lose.

Image: INSCT

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Tags: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Relationship, US

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Black bear removed from NJ office complex

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (AP) ? It was a bear of a day for employees at a northern New Jersey office complex after a young black bear decided to come to work.

The bruin was spotted roaming the grounds of the Octagon 10 Office Center off Route 10 in Parsippany Thursday.

Rangers cornered the animal, which officials say weighed about 154 pounds, and shot it with a tranquilizer gun.

After sleeping it off, the bear was taken to Black River County Park in Chester Township and released.

Alison Glazer-Baurenfind tells The Daily Record of Parsippany (http://dailyre.co/LcRZ0X ) she lives in Sussex County where there are a lot of bears, but this was a first.

___

Information from: Daily Record, http://www.dailyrecord.com

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Finding Easy Methods Of Home Owners Insurance Questions

This article has been viewed 45 times.

If you?re a homeowner, there?s something that you need to understand above all else. Having insurance on your home is not a luxury; it?s a necessity. You need to make sure that you?re covered. Use the tips in this article to buy, or perhaps, compare to the insurance you currently have.

When buying a homeowner?s insurance policy, what is excluded from coverage is sometimes more critical that what the policy does cover. Flood coverage, for example, is not typically covered in most homeowner?s policies, but can be purchased as a separate policy. The same is true for other natural disasters such as earthquakes.

When taking photos of items that have fine detail or are reflective for your home owner?s insurance inventory, use a dark background like black fabric. This will bring the focus to the item itself and give you a better photo. Your insurance company will only accept photos that are fully in focus.

Before a flood strikes, you need to know what to do to be sure that your home is insured against floods. The only way to insure against the risk of floods in the US is via the National Flood Insurance Program (NFID), administered by FEMA. Insurance companies work with FEMA to sell coverage to homeowners. Therefore, always have a plan in place to cover flood protection, and know whom to contact at your insurance company in order to arrange for it.

Save receipts from any temporary repairs if you experience a claim event. Not all repairs can wait for your home owner?s insurance company to review and rule on your claim, but if you pay out of pocket for temporary repairs and the claim is approved, the costs are usually reimbursed if you have appropriate documentation. Navigate to motorcycle shipping ? a background for up to date tips.

Tell your insurance company about any special features or benefits of your neighborhood. For example, if you live in a gated community, you may be eligible for additional discounts. If your gated neighborhood offers regular security patrols or a formal entrance procedure, these safety features can further reduce your home owner?s insurance premium.

Lowering your home owner?s insurance premiums is as easy as raising your deductible. If you don?t plan to file any claims, and haven?t filed any in the past, then you are the perfect candidate for a high deductible. If you never actually have to pay anything, then you?ll never confront the problem of a high deductible anyway.

Obviously, the more coverage you have, the more you?re going to pay. However, that doesn?t mean that you can?t drive those prices down tremendously by using the tips we covered in the article above. Just follow the tips, and you should be able to save a ton of money on your policy.

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Low Cost Interior Design and Decorating Tips | Cleanups.Us

Friday, June 8th, 2012. Author : Aditiya Sulistiawan. 5 views.

Thinking of a home or office renovation, but worried about the cost of the interior designing and decorating? Do you think you can?t afford to spend much on the interior designing but wish for an elegant make over for your room? You don?t have to get vexed about not having too much money to spend on your decoration, because you can do a fabulous job of decorating your house without spending much of your pennies, if you do it wise.

Plan your budget
Low or high, you should always have a specific budget plan for your work, rather than saying ?I want the room?s interior design to be done at a low cost it is better to have an idea of how much you are ready to spend. Coming to the correct value may not be possible but giving an almost accurate estimate will always help. Divide your budget under different task like, $ 100 for new furniture, $ 50 for paint etc rather than quoting the whole amount. But remember your budget plan should be realistic and should be strictly followed for a successful low cost interior designing.

Be the interior designer yourself
Hiring a firm or a specialist to do the makeover might give you a completely remarkable room or office, but remember the more established they are, the more you will end up paying them for the service alone. So it is best to take your imagination into play and come up with how much you are going to spent and what would have to be changed or introduced. You can refer articles in magazines or the internet to get ample ideas on how to do the job at minimum cost.

Shop low and wide
You are planning to decorate the interiors of the room, so it calls for full day fun shopping. Are you aware that most of the goods you buy at the branded Shoppe may be available at an unbelievably slashed price in local shops and auction houses? So take your time to hunt in the second hand shops, bargain market and any shop with a year ending sale or shop renovation sale sign board. You are going to hit on something great at an unbelievable price. But just getting the thing at a low price should not tempt you to buy it; you should buy only those things you came to shop for. Otherwise, the low priced shopping experience will turn to a conflicting one.

Get your things auctioned
If you are renovating the place, you may have to remove a piece of furniture, curtains and a lot of junk you may no longer require. Rather than shifting them to the storeroom, you can get these things sold at a low price to get a tip on your budget; you can either auction it or sell it to a second hand shop. Remember your stuff might not fetch much, but removing these will help you to de clutter the room and at the same time get a small raise on your budget. But if you are doing the interior designing and decorating from start, don?t worry for not having anything to sell; you can have an option of choosing very wisely and designing the room afresh with no time loss.

Reuse your stuff
You can use a lot of things at hand in a novel and creative way to make the interior designing a fun and creative experience. You can make a cushion cover out of your old curtain by stitching together the pieces but while choosing the fabric, see to it that it either gives an arresting effect to the otherwise blunt room or else combine with the mood of it. You can also use an old piece of furniture and polish it to make a centrepiece of the room. Your grandmother?s chest drawer can boast the main attraction in your drawing room if you space it well and take care to project it.

Decorative pieces
Decorative items and wall painting can come in any range and sometimes it may cost you a fortune. But it?s not just costly decorative pieces and antique collections that can make your interior boast a good appearance. You can use a family portrait or a painting your little one did to give a new look to the walls. These paintings and photos don?t just come free, they are worthless and just a good frame will do the job. Similarly you can also use decorative candles and gift pieces in a creative way to change the face of your room.

An extra coat of paint
An extra coat of paint can always give a facelift to a room. Interior designing is never complete without a well painted wall. Choose the same shade of paint as your previous one as getting a new shade will require more coats of the paint and hence it will increase the cost of painting. But you can do a contrasting shade on just one wall if you are bored with the ?same old paint? this not just give a new face to the room, it also saves a bit on the paint.

Keep it simple
Be it kitchen, bedroom, office or study; keep the room as simple as possible. Reduce the number of furniture and extra piece of couch to give your room a neat, organised, spacious and new look. Your rooms and office should also have a touch of your personality so work on it.

Try it out and enjoy being the interior designer.

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Singapore Airlines to Launch 4th Daily Flight to London Heathrow

Singapore Airlines is to launch a fourth daily flight between Singapore and London Heathrow from October 2012.

?The airline, frequently voted one of the very best in the world, currently operates three flights per day between Singapore and London Heathrow, all with Airbus A380s.

?The additional flight, which will have a late-night departure from Singapore, will be operated with a Boeing 777-300ER.

The increase in frequency will be carried out progressively, starting the week of 9 September when the number of flights per week will rise to 25 from 21. The full complement of 28 flights per week will take effect from the week of 21 October.

?We have been looking for opportunities to increase our London flights for many years and are pleased that we can now do so, to provide even more travel options to our customers,? said Singapore Airlines? Executive Vice President Commercial, Mr Mak Swee Wah. ?Not only are London and Singapore popular destinations in their own right, the additional flights will allow for more convenient connections beyond London to other points in Europe, and beyond Singapore to other points within Asia and South West Pacific.?

See other recent news regarding: Airlines, Airline Traffic, Airports, Awards, Flights, Codeshare, FFP, Inflight, Lounges, First Class, Business Class, MICE, GDS, Rewards, Miles, Hotels, Apartments, Promotions, Spas, Yoga, Retreat, New Hotels, Traffic, Visitor Arrivals, Cruises, Free Deals, Interviews, Pictures, Sports Tourism, Videos, SIA, Singapore Airlines, Singapore, Heathrow, London

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Florida Names Bryan Shelton Men's Tennis Head Coach

(Photo by Jamie Howell, via Wikipedia.)

Florida's spates of association with other non-rival schools ? Ohio State, UCLA, Butler ? are always weird and almost entirely random. Here's another one: Just days after Florida's baseball team crushed Georgia Tech to advance in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, the new Gators men's tennis coach, Bryan Shelton, comes to Florida from Atlanta. Shelton will replace Andy Jackson, who resigned in May.

Scott Carter's got an excellent profile of Shelton, which details his circuitous path to tennis coaching: An ATP player from the end of his collegiate career at Georgia Tech until 1997, Shelton won two titles, and became the first black player to win an ATP singles title since Arthur Ashe in 1991, then turned to coaching, where he built a Georgia Tech women's program that won the national title in 2007, the school's only NCAA team title, and was a perennial ACC contender.

Shelton will look to improve on Jackson's tenure, in which his Gators teams were usually solid but only rarely SEC and national championship contenders. Jackson's No. 12 Gators fell in the Round of 16 in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, and no Gators made it out of the second round of the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships.

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My Narcissism Wears Spanx

However, just because I am honest about my neurosis does not mean I allow it to rampage, expanding to engulf people and entire cities like The Blob. My narcissism wears Spanx. I control it and I contain it. Policing my own narcissism in an honest way has enabled me?though I do bray it myself?to avoid the extremes of assholism which are so often to be found in some of today?s great narcissists, by which I do, of course, mean John Edwards. By facing the beast head on, and dissecting its various components, I feel I have managed to avoid Howard Hughes-ian extremes of grandiosity, isolation, and persnickety paranoia.

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Euro and aussie rise on China rate cut

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