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Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec
Date: 08/14/2012 10:19:49
Good Morning.
Today is our 3,950th day in Afghanistan.
We'll start this morning as we always do; with the latest casualty figures from our ongoing war, courtesy of Antiwar.com:
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 2,088
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,048
We find this morning's cost of war passing through:
$1, 362, 427, 450, 000 .00
The other day, Dr. Maddow got a little bit from the RWNM. Apparently, she thought it inappropriate that the Mitt and Paul show making their announcement aboard the USS Wisconsin was inappropriate. It's part of a larger pattern by our GOP friends, of course the highlight of which was the "Mission Accomplished" moment.
Nevertheless, this does highlight that for the first time in ages, none of the leading candidates has any military experience. It's not necessarily a bad thing; in fact, I often think that having a military man as commander-in-chief is somewhat counter to the Constitution's call for civilian military leadership. But come election day, I have no doubt who is going to be the better choice for veterans.
As we often do at AAV, we'll take a radical jump without any connecting framework. I was recently struck by a story about a returning veteran in Fayetteville who races cars routinely. Only not legally; he's out and about in the streets looking for an "adrenaline rush". While all of the focus is on PTSD and TBI issues among returning vets (and rightly so), there are many others out there that are having difficulty fitting back into society.
Finally this morning....I found this one a little weird. Did you know that the Navy and Marines train their medical corpsmen on live animals? Well, I bet you didn't. Apparently, the practice has been going on for years. Animal-rights activists have been appalled at this, perhaps rightly so. (After all, a certain government from the past thought nothing of doing exactly the same things, only they used people.) Fortunately, technology is maybe catching up and the service may be discontinuing the practice in favor of simulators.
And so we go, another week at war.
Today is our 3,950th day in Afghanistan.
We'll start this morning as we always do; with the latest casualty figures from our ongoing war, courtesy of Antiwar.com:
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 2,088
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,048
We find this morning's cost of war passing through:
The other day, Dr. Maddow got a little bit from the RWNM. Apparently, she thought it inappropriate that the Mitt and Paul show making their announcement aboard the USS Wisconsin was inappropriate. It's part of a larger pattern by our GOP friends, of course the highlight of which was the "Mission Accomplished" moment.
Nevertheless, this does highlight that for the first time in ages, none of the leading candidates has any military experience. It's not necessarily a bad thing; in fact, I often think that having a military man as commander-in-chief is somewhat counter to the Constitution's call for civilian military leadership. But come election day, I have no doubt who is going to be the better choice for veterans.
WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan makes this the first presidential election in 80 years in which no one on either ticket has served in the military.
The last time that happened was 1932, before the United States helped win World War II and became a military superpower.
Despite the martial pageantry of Romney’s introducing Ryan on Saturday aboard the battleship Wisconsin, the lack of a veteran in the race underscores the growing distance between today’s all-volunteer military and the vast majority of society which lacks contact with it.
In 1932, John Nance Garner joined Franklin D. Roosevelt’s campaign against then-President Herbert Hoover and Charles Curtis. Roosevelt had served as assistant secretary of the Navy, but that is a civilian position.
This is also the first election since 1944 in which neither of the major party presidential candidates has spent time in the armed forces.
The military draft had long been abolished by the time Ryan and President Barack Obama turned 18.
Vice President Joe Biden was deemed medically ineligible in 1968 during the Vietnam War due to a history of asthma.
Romney received four draft deferments for being a college student and then for doing mission work in France for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
None of them volunteered for service.
In recent elections at least one of the major party candidates had served.
As we often do at AAV, we'll take a radical jump without any connecting framework. I was recently struck by a story about a returning veteran in Fayetteville who races cars routinely. Only not legally; he's out and about in the streets looking for an "adrenaline rush". While all of the focus is on PTSD and TBI issues among returning vets (and rightly so), there are many others out there that are having difficulty fitting back into society.
A Fort Bragg soldier says he races every few days on the city's busiest thoroughfares, sometimes topping speeds of 110 mph.
The 20-year-old soldier, who agreed to tell his story only if his first name -- Josh -- were used, said he doesn't go out searching for races. They happen spontaneously, he said, as he travels around the city.
It could be Monday morning on the way to work at Fort Bragg, or a Thursday evening heading home after dinner.
His flashy Nissan 300ZX is like a rolling advertisement: "Who wants to race me?"
"Sometimes people will rev the engine or they'll just fly past you and let themselves idle back to get lined up and you take off, or sometimes you just fly by them and see if they can catch up to you," he said. "I do it for the adrenaline rush, the excitement of just going fast."
Other times, Josh said, races are organized at the box-store parking lots where members of car clubs gather on the weekends.
Josh said he doesn't participate in the "Freaky Friday" drag racing events at Fayetteville Motor Sports Park because by the time he pays to drive to the track and to race, he's spent all of his gas money. It costs $10 to get in the park's gates, and $10 more to race.
So Josh speeds on the streets.
***
Other times, he races even when he knows there's no chance he'll win. He said he recently raced his family car -- an old four-door Nissan -- against a turbo-charged BMW on Santa Fe Drive on his way to work.
Josh knows that one set of blue lights in his rearview mirror could cost him military rank and possibly his job.
But the idea of getting caught, losing everything, doesn't deter him. The risk just magnifies the adrenaline rush, he said. There's nothing that could keep him from racing short of having his driver's license revoked.
"I don't see that happening," he said, "but (I'll be racing) until I can't drive on the streets anymore."
Finally this morning....I found this one a little weird. Did you know that the Navy and Marines train their medical corpsmen on live animals? Well, I bet you didn't. Apparently, the practice has been going on for years. Animal-rights activists have been appalled at this, perhaps rightly so. (After all, a certain government from the past thought nothing of doing exactly the same things, only they used people.) Fortunately, technology is maybe catching up and the service may be discontinuing the practice in favor of simulators.
SAN DIEGO — New high-tech simulation devices are raising hope among critics that the practice of teaching Navy corpsmen and Marines to treat trauma patients by slicing into live, anesthetized pigs and goats will come to an end.
The Defense Department uses more than 6,000 animals a year for combat-trauma training, according to congressional representatives and animal-rights groups that have criticized the practice as inhumane. But high-tech medical task trainers now let students learn specific medical procedures, like unblocking airways, stopping hemorrhages or treating patients with amputated limbs under extremely realistic conditions.
One such device, the Human Worn Partial Task Surgical Simulator, or “cut suit,” developed by Strategic Operations Inc., replicates human organs and blood vessels. The company’s website claims it is “the most realistic way to simulate the look, feel and smell effects of severe traumatic events on a live human,” while allowing corpsmen and Marines to perform real procedures.
A recent study at Rocky Vista University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in Parker, Colo., found that second-year medical students who used the “cut suit” as a surgical simulator in training were better skilled and more prepared for stressful clinical rotations. “With each day of exposure to stressful training scenarios, students reported feeling incrementally less stressed and more confident,” researchers wrote in the July edition of the Journal for Healthcare Education, Simulation and Training.
In mid-July, the contractor used the simulator during a trauma-care training event here for corpsmen and Marines preparing to deploy to Afghanistan.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and other groups say that simulators do a better job of teaching first responders how to treat traumatic battlefield wounds, especially when used in realistic and stressful training environments.
And so we go, another week at war.
Comments:
Order comments Newest to Oldest Refresh Comments
Comment by 
Raine on 08/14/2012 12:22:52
good morning.
Raine on 08/14/2012 12:22:52
good morning.
Comment by 
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 12:40:51
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 12:40:51
Morning 
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 12:52:40
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 12:52:40
*sigh* moving meeting - back in a bit 
Comment by 
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 12:54:00
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 12:54:00
:grunt:
Comment by 
BobR on 08/14/2012 12:54:55
BobR on 08/14/2012 12:54:55
:hack:
Comment by Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 12:55:29
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 12:55:29
Hmm Helen Gurley Brown died.
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 13:08:08
Oh that's sad.
Raine on 08/14/2012 13:08:08
Quote by Mondobubba:
Hmm Helen Gurley Brown died.
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 13:20:04
WTH?!?!
Raine on 08/14/2012 13:20:04
Helen Gurley Brown, who as the author of “Sex and the Single Girl†shocked early-1960s America with the news that unmarried women not only had sex but thoroughly enjoyed it — and who as the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine spent the next three decades telling those women precisely how to enjoy it even more — died on Monday in Manhattan. She was 90, though parts of her were considerably younger.
WTH?!?!
Comment by Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 13:20:43
I can't think of a lame quip about Cosmo sex tips.
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 13:20:43
Quote by Raine:Oh that's sad.Quote by Mondobubba:
Hmm Helen Gurley Brown died.
I can't think of a lame quip about Cosmo sex tips.
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 13:25:28
I adored her. You know her husband produced *Jaws*, right?
Raine on 08/14/2012 13:25:28
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:Oh that's sad.Quote by Mondobubba:
Hmm Helen Gurley Brown died.
I can't think of a lame quip about Cosmo sex tips.
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 13:45:34
Raine on 08/14/2012 13:45:34
This is pretty interesting.
The reality is that Ryan is now every Republicans’ running mate whether they like it or not, forcing GOP candidates who would just as soon run from the debate over senior citizen entitlements to embrace the third rail of American politics like never before.
One GOP insider lamented that party leaders “have spent the last year†trying to take Medicare off the political front burner, but the Ryan pick “puts it all back out there now.â€
Comment by 
clintster on 08/14/2012 13:55:22
clintster on 08/14/2012 13:55:22
#PaulRyanGosling: "Hey girl, let's put on Stairway to Heaven so I can trickle down all over you."
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 14:01:57
oohhh new JAWS fact
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 14:01:57
Quote by Raine:I adored her. You know her husband produced *Jaws*, right?Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:Oh that's sad.Quote by Mondobubba:
Hmm Helen Gurley Brown died.
I can't think of a lame quip about Cosmo sex tips.
oohhh new JAWS fact
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 14:10:17
Raine on 08/14/2012 14:10:17
Hey MAla, When is the office moving?
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 14:11:56
we are moving 8/31 so of course we have to take part of the Labor Day weekend to come in a set our office back up *sigh* I think they miss the point of Labor Day.
Oh well, I just want it to be over an done with at this point
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 14:11:56
Quote by Raine:
Hey MAla, When is the office moving?
we are moving 8/31 so of course we have to take part of the Labor Day weekend to come in a set our office back up *sigh* I think they miss the point of Labor Day.
Oh well, I just want it to be over an done with at this point
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 14:14:34
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 14:14:34
On the up side of the move - we'll be closer to Trader Joe's and some better places to get lunch
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 14:16:24
OH! now THAT is awesome!
Raine on 08/14/2012 14:16:24
Quote by wickedpam:
On the up side of the move - we'll be closer to Trader Joe's and some better places to get lunch
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 14:25:10
I know right!
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 14:25:10
Quote by Raine:OH! now THAT is awesome!Quote by wickedpam:
On the up side of the move - we'll be closer to Trader Joe's and some better places to get lunch
I know right!
Comment by Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 14:27:16
:Carson: I did not know that!
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 14:27:16
Quote by Raine:I adored her. You know her husband produced *Jaws*, right?Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:Oh that's sad.Quote by Mondobubba:
Hmm Helen Gurley Brown died.
I can't think of a lame quip about Cosmo sex tips.
:Carson: I did not know that!
Comment by BobR on 08/14/2012 14:45:21
BobR on 08/14/2012 14:45:21
Here's a photo to give you nightmares:
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 14:48:52
Is that Ryan's wife?
Raine on 08/14/2012 14:48:52
Quote by BobR:
Here's a photo to give you nightmares:
Comment by BobR on 08/14/2012 15:01:21
yes.
BobR on 08/14/2012 15:01:21
Quote by Raine:Is that Ryan's wife?Quote by BobR:
Here's a photo to give you nightmares:
[...]
yes.
Comment by clintster on 08/14/2012 15:02:39
This looks like a ransom photo where Ann Rmoney is holding a gun to Janna Ryan's back and forcing her to say "Everything's fine, just fine. We're so proud and happy to be part of this ticket!"
clintster on 08/14/2012 15:02:39
Quote by BobR:
Here's a photo to give you nightmares:
This looks like a ransom photo where Ann Rmoney is holding a gun to Janna Ryan's back and forcing her to say "Everything's fine, just fine. We're so proud and happy to be part of this ticket!"
Comment by Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 15:18:14
Ah Mah Gawd! My Eyes!
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 15:18:14
Quote by BobR:
Here's a photo to give you nightmares:
Ah Mah Gawd! My Eyes!
Comment by Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 15:26:03
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 15:26:03
Quote by clintster:Quote by BobR:
Here's a photo to give you nightmares:
This looks like a ransom photo where Ann Rmoney is holding a gun to Janna Ryan's back and forcing her to say "Everything's fine, just fine. We're so proud and happy to be part of this ticket!"
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 15:37:00
You WIN! 
Raine on 08/14/2012 15:37:00
Quote by clintster:Quote by BobR:
Here's a photo to give you nightmares:
This looks like a ransom photo where Ann Rmoney is holding a gun to Janna Ryan's back and forcing her to say "Everything's fine, just fine. We're so proud and happy to be part of this ticket!"
Comment by 
Will in Chicago on 08/14/2012 15:42:43
My eyes, my preciouss!!!
Thanks for a great blog, TriSec! I think that this will be a very interesting election for veterans.
Will in Chicago on 08/14/2012 15:42:43
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by BobR:
Here's a photo to give you nightmares:
Ah Mah Gawd! My Eyes!
My eyes, my preciouss!!!
Thanks for a great blog, TriSec! I think that this will be a very interesting election for veterans.
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 15:45:03
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 15:45:03
yes, I can confirm that the RR crowds are super white and uptight
Comment by Will in Chicago on 08/14/2012 15:48:19
Will in Chicago on 08/14/2012 15:48:19
More evidence that Mother Nature is not happy with us, courtesy of ABC News:
Mysterious Louisiana Sinkhole Raises Concerns of Explosions and Radiation
A nearly 400-foot deep sinkhole in Louisiana has swallowed all of the trees in its area and enacted a mandatory evacuation order for about 150 residences for fear of potential radiation and explosions.
The 400-square-foot gaping hole is in Assumption Parish, La., about 50 miles south of Baton Rouge.
The sinkhole sits in the middle of a heavily wooded space where it has consumed all of the soaring cypress trees that had been there. Flyover photos show some of the treetops still visible through the mud.
Authorities enacted a mandatory evacuation for between 100 and150 homes in the area, but most people have chosen to stay, according to the Mayor's Office of Emergency Preparedness. If any of the dangers seem to become more imminent, the order will be escalated to a forced evacuation.
While officials are not certain what caused the massive sinkhole, they believe it may be have ben caused by a nearby salt cavern owned by the Texas Brine Company.
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 15:56:09
I shocked I tell you, SHOCKED! 
Raine on 08/14/2012 15:56:09
Quote by wickedpam:
yes, I can confirm that the RR crowds are super white and uptight
Comment by 
livingonli on 08/14/2012 16:01:21
livingonli on 08/14/2012 16:01:21
Hello, everybody. That photo looks like the spouses were exposed to the Joker smiley gas and that's the after effect.
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 16:03:07
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 16:03:07
At 2pm Sat - the view from the top of the parking deck which was devoid of cars at the time
Also 2pm from the parking deck - the line (you may think its long but that was the end and it only went 2 short blocks )
Also 2pm from the parking deck - the line (you may think its long but that was the end and it only went 2 short blocks )
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 16:07:41
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 16:07:41
Oh, and did I mention- they stopped Amtrak from coming into town too. Talked to one poor who'd been waiting for the train - she wasn't happy
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 16:08:18
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 16:08:18
oops - sorry the pix at so big
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 16:11:17
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 16:11:17
1 more from the top of the deck at 2pm - this was only 45 mins before they were letting people in
Comment by BobR on 08/14/2012 16:25:03
That's quite near to where my sister lives (she is on the other side of the river in Gonzales).
BobR on 08/14/2012 16:25:03
Quote by Will in Chicago:
More evidence that Mother Nature is not happy with us, courtesy of ABC News:Mysterious Louisiana Sinkhole Raises Concerns of Explosions and Radiation
A nearly 400-foot deep sinkhole in Louisiana has swallowed all of the trees in its area and enacted a mandatory evacuation order for about 150 residences for fear of potential radiation and explosions.
The 400-square-foot gaping hole is in Assumption Parish, La., about 50 miles south of Baton Rouge.
The sinkhole sits in the middle of a heavily wooded space where it has consumed all of the soaring cypress trees that had been there. Flyover photos show some of the treetops still visible through the mud.
Authorities enacted a mandatory evacuation for between 100 and150 homes in the area, but most people have chosen to stay, according to the Mayor's Office of Emergency Preparedness. If any of the dangers seem to become more imminent, the order will be escalated to a forced evacuation.
While officials are not certain what caused the massive sinkhole, they believe it may be have ben caused by a nearby salt cavern owned by the Texas Brine Company.
That's quite near to where my sister lives (she is on the other side of the river in Gonzales).
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 16:29:53
Raine on 08/14/2012 16:29:53
Yes, Mala -- that is a VERY VERY white crowd.
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 16:38:04
password - wackysat
Album from Sat
all my pix from Sat - the OFA office opening and all the signs, the crowd of scary people, a couple of pix from the counter rally and one of the parking lot zombies watching the jumbotron
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 16:38:04
Quote by Raine:
Yes, Mala -- that is a VERY VERY white crowd.
password - wackysat
Album from Sat
all my pix from Sat - the OFA office opening and all the signs, the crowd of scary people, a couple of pix from the counter rally and one of the parking lot zombies watching the jumbotron
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 16:54:18
Raine on 08/14/2012 16:54:18
Ron Palillo passed today. 
I loved Welcome back Kotter. I loved his character Horshack. Damn, I loved the sweathogs.
I loved Welcome back Kotter. I loved his character Horshack. Damn, I loved the sweathogs.
Comment by livingonli on 08/14/2012 16:55:54
livingonli on 08/14/2012 16:55:54
It seems like we're getting a lot more deaths lately and they seem all over the place.
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 16:58:12
Raine on 08/14/2012 16:58:12
Comment by Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 17:21:46
Same here. Oh. OH MR KOT-ER!!
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 17:21:46
Quote by Raine:
Ron Palillo passed today.
I loved Welcome back Kotter. I loved his character Horshack. Damn, I loved the sweathogs.
Same here. Oh. OH MR KOT-ER!!
Comment by 
Scoopster on 08/14/2012 17:26:02
zomg Obama is an evil wizard!
Scoopster on 08/14/2012 17:26:02
zomg Obama is an evil wizard!
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 17:28:34
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 17:28:34
Quote by Scoopster:
zomg Obama is an evil wizard!
Comment by Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 17:36:31
So here is another RW meme.
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 17:36:31
Quote by Scoopster:
zomg Obama is an evil wizard!
So here is another RW meme.
Comment by clintster on 08/14/2012 17:36:45
I'm surprised the Right hasn't tried to blame them on Obamacare.
clintster on 08/14/2012 17:36:45
Quote by livingonli:
It seems like we're getting a lot more deaths lately and they seem all over the place.
I'm surprised the Right hasn't tried to blame them on Obamacare.
Comment by Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 17:37:23
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 17:37:23
Scoop, Raine, that is scream for a quicky photoshop of a robe and hat.
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 18:02:15
I'll see if I can help.
I did find this...
Raine on 08/14/2012 18:02:15
Quote by Mondobubba:
Scoop, Raine, that is scream for a quicky photoshop of a robe and hat.
I did find this...
Comment by Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 18:05:17
Those two emoticons are getting tuckered out today.
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 18:05:17
Quote by Raine:I'll see if I can help.Quote by Mondobubba:
Scoop, Raine, that is scream for a quicky photoshop of a robe and hat.
I did find this...
Those two emoticons are getting tuckered out today.
Comment by livingonli on 08/14/2012 18:12:24
Give them time. Although they might not be mourning Gore Vidal or Alexander Coburn.
livingonli on 08/14/2012 18:12:24
Quote by clintster:Quote by livingonli:
It seems like we're getting a lot more deaths lately and they seem all over the place.
I'm surprised the Right hasn't tried to blame them on Obamacare.
Give them time. Although they might not be mourning Gore Vidal or Alexander Coburn.
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 19:10:07
Raine on 08/14/2012 19:10:07
For those wondering about Thom... here is why he has been off the air:
Thom had a simple abdominal surgery scheduled for and performed on the first week of his August vacation.
It all seemed to go well. Unfortunately, the next week something inside popped, which turned into a 4-day return to the hospital through the ER to get fixed.
He's now on the mend and it all looks good, but his 1 1/2-week summer vacation is going to run a week or so longer than planned. When he's back on the air, he'll tell you all about his adventures with the American healthcare system.
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 19:11:33
glad to hear he is on the mend
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 19:11:33
Quote by Raine:
For those wondering about Thom... here is why he has been off the air:Thom had a simple abdominal surgery scheduled for and performed on the first week of his August vacation.
It all seemed to go well. Unfortunately, the next week something inside popped, which turned into a 4-day return to the hospital through the ER to get fixed.
He's now on the mend and it all looks good, but his 1 1/2-week summer vacation is going to run a week or so longer than planned. When he's back on the air, he'll tell you all about his adventures with the American healthcare system.
glad to hear he is on the mend
Comment by Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 19:15:58
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 19:15:58
Ugh I have been "you peopled!" 
Comment by Raine on 08/14/2012 19:17:09
Did you talk to Ann RMoney?
Raine on 08/14/2012 19:17:09
Quote by Mondobubba:
Ugh I have been "you peopled!"
Comment by livingonli on 08/14/2012 19:17:22
Good to know. A long absence from him was unusual and it occurring with the time change of the RT show and everything made it kind of odd.
livingonli on 08/14/2012 19:17:22
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:
For those wondering about Thom... here is why he has been off the air:Thom had a simple abdominal surgery scheduled for and performed on the first week of his August vacation.
It all seemed to go well. Unfortunately, the next week something inside popped, which turned into a 4-day return to the hospital through the ER to get fixed.
He's now on the mend and it all looks good, but his 1 1/2-week summer vacation is going to run a week or so longer than planned. When he's back on the air, he'll tell you all about his adventures with the American healthcare system.
glad to hear he is on the mend
Good to know. A long absence from him was unusual and it occurring with the time change of the RT show and everything made it kind of odd.
Comment by wickedpam on 08/14/2012 19:31:40
wickedpam on 08/14/2012 19:31:40
Quote by Mondobubba:
Ugh I have been "you peopled!"
Comment by 
trojanrabbit on 08/14/2012 19:41:52
You sure it's not Sargon's mind receptacle?
trojanrabbit on 08/14/2012 19:41:52
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Scoopster:
zomg Obama is an evil wizard!
So here is another RW meme.
You sure it's not Sargon's mind receptacle?
Comment by trojanrabbit on 08/14/2012 19:58:37
trojanrabbit on 08/14/2012 19:58:37
The conversion of the undear departed "Rush Radio" in Boston to 24/7 comedy seems to be complete. To me it sounds like XM's Comedy channel (yeah, I stopped listening long before Sirius / Karmazin destroyed it), with the disadvantage that you're not sure who the comic is, even though it's announced. I never knew Bobcat Goldthwait had a Mexican accent. 
I don't know how much Clear Channel $unk into relocating WXKS's transmitter and upping the power to the maximum 50kW, but it had to be considerable. And even though the engineering concern that did the relocation appears to be one of the best, the result was that still if you were south of Boston you weren't getting a signal at night. They had to be satisfied with only getting a good signal into Boston, and they succeeded at that. Such are the vagaries of AM radio, especially in an area with rocky soil. There is one reason why Boston still has only 1 "blowtorch" station that's heard through most of the country, its transmitter is located in a salt marsh - a perfect "ground" for an AM station. A transmitter in rocky ground just isn't going to cut it. For AM, the quality of the ground is just as important as that of the towers. When you see an AM installation, all of those towers are "alive" for the full length, a TV/FM tower is just that, a tower with many antennas (for many stations) attached to it.
As far as Jeff Santos' station is concerned, it looks like he has one show (Rebuild America) and that is it. I believe the station is slated to switch to NBC sports mostly - just what Boston needs.
I don't know how much Clear Channel $unk into relocating WXKS's transmitter and upping the power to the maximum 50kW, but it had to be considerable. And even though the engineering concern that did the relocation appears to be one of the best, the result was that still if you were south of Boston you weren't getting a signal at night. They had to be satisfied with only getting a good signal into Boston, and they succeeded at that. Such are the vagaries of AM radio, especially in an area with rocky soil. There is one reason why Boston still has only 1 "blowtorch" station that's heard through most of the country, its transmitter is located in a salt marsh - a perfect "ground" for an AM station. A transmitter in rocky ground just isn't going to cut it. For AM, the quality of the ground is just as important as that of the towers. When you see an AM installation, all of those towers are "alive" for the full length, a TV/FM tower is just that, a tower with many antennas (for many stations) attached to it.
As far as Jeff Santos' station is concerned, it looks like he has one show (Rebuild America) and that is it. I believe the station is slated to switch to NBC sports mostly - just what Boston needs.
Comment by Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 20:05:14
Mondobubba on 08/14/2012 20:05:14
Last evening I had the misfortune of seeing a fleeting few minutes of NBC's new war porn program, "Stars Earn Strips." One of the "stars" is Todd Palin. Aside from planting his seed in Mrs Palin, what is he a star of exactly? On the other hand, one of the other "stars" is Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho (aka Terry Allen Crews). So we "Idiocracy" fans have someone to root for.
Comment by Will in Chicago on 08/14/2012 22:34:55
It is sad that Boston can't get a great progressive talk station. I hate to say it, but maybe it is time for someone besides Jeff Santos to step up for progressive talk in Boston.
Will in Chicago on 08/14/2012 22:34:55
Quote by trojanrabbit:
The conversion of the undear departed "Rush Radio" in Boston to 24/7 comedy seems to be complete. To me it sounds like XM's Comedy channel (yeah, I stopped listening long before Sirius / Karmazin destroyed it), with the disadvantage that you're not sure who the comic is, even though it's announced. I never knew Bobcat Goldthwait had a Mexican accent.
I don't know how much Clear Channel $unk into relocating WXKS's transmitter and upping the power to the maximum 50kW, but it had to be considerable. And even though the engineering concern that did the relocation appears to be one of the best, the result was that still if you were south of Boston you weren't getting a signal at night. They had to be satisfied with only getting a good signal into Boston, and they succeeded at that. Such are the vagaries of AM radio, especially in an area with rocky soil. There is one reason why Boston still has only 1 "blowtorch" station that's heard through most of the country, its transmitter is located in a salt marsh - a perfect "ground" for an AM station. A transmitter in rocky ground just isn't going to cut it. For AM, the quality of the ground is just as important as that of the towers. When you see an AM installation, all of those towers are "alive" for the full length, a TV/FM tower is just that, a tower with many antennas (for many stations) attached to it.
As far as Jeff Santos' station is concerned, it looks like he has one show (Rebuild America) and that is it. I believe the station is slated to switch to NBC sports mostly - just what Boston needs.
It is sad that Boston can't get a great progressive talk station. I hate to say it, but maybe it is time for someone besides Jeff Santos to step up for progressive talk in Boston.
Comment by 
TriSec on 08/15/2012 00:22:14
Coming from the AAV department of redundancies department, of course.
That's what I get for writing the blog after decaffeinating because coffee with cream makes me throw the heck up after chemo and I refuse to drink it black.
In other news....I've been working with the Orwellian mind-control staff at Websense...I have had Four Freedoms re-classified as "News and Media", so I am cautiously optimistic that it will no longer be blocked at work.
TriSec on 08/15/2012 00:22:14
Apparently, she thought it inappropriate that the Mitt and Paul show making their announcement aboard the USS Wisconsin was inappropriate
Coming from the AAV department of redundancies department, of course.
That's what I get for writing the blog after decaffeinating because coffee with cream makes me throw the heck up after chemo and I refuse to drink it black.In other news....I've been working with the Orwellian mind-control staff at Websense...I have had Four Freedoms re-classified as "News and Media", so I am cautiously optimistic that it will no longer be blocked at work.
Comment by Raine on 08/15/2012 03:18:24
Fingers crossed!
Raine on 08/15/2012 03:18:24
Quote by TriSec:
Apparently, she thought it inappropriate that the Mitt and Paul show making their announcement aboard the USS Wisconsin was inappropriate
Coming from the AAV department of redundancies department, of course.
In other news....I've been working with the Orwellian mind-control staff at Websense...I have had Four Freedoms re-classified as "News and Media", so I am cautiously optimistic that it will no longer be blocked at work.