The most popular arena for ghillie suits is by far the paintball and airsoft fields. The production of ghillie suits reflects that trend in that most of the newest innovations are geared toward paintball use. The newer suits are lighter, more durable, and provide more mobility than the older and heavier models. In the past , ghillie suits outside of the military applications, were built with hunters in mind.Many of them were one piece affairs that covered the entire body from head to toenail. They were and still are great for still-hunting, but they didn’t lend themselves well to a lot of movement; especially fast movement. The newer suits don’t forget the hunter’s needs, as you can now get them with multiple pockets. Great for extra shells and snacks. Most of the new ones are two-piece affairs giving the user the option of being completely covered or just the upper body covered. That should appeal to anyone hunting from a blind. Blinds now come in ghillie material too. A turkey-hunter behind a ghillie blind with a ghillie jacket on is in turkey-hunter heaven.Hunters and paintballers aren’t the only users of ghillie suits. A wildlife photographer or researcher is going to get amazingly close to his subjects if he/she sets up in a ghillie blind and wears at least a ghillie jacket and hood.The majority of birders ply their craft in ordinary street clothes. True, they can see a lot of birds using their binoculars. Those that choose to camouflage with a ghillie suit can, with a little patience see even more birds and quite often not need the binoculars at all.Then we have yet another group making use of the ghillie suit. The social set is well represented among ghillie fans at costume parties and Halloween is a prime time for ghillie suits with users checking in at all ages. A word of warning to golfers. That is most likely not “Bigfoot” after your lost balls so don’t shoot. It’s probably a neighborhood kid in a ghillie suit.

By Michael Webster: Investigative Reporter Aug 1, 2008 12:30 PM PDT

The Mexican and U.S. Governments are in denial. The dictionary definition of civil war indicates that a civil war is a military conflict which arises from a desire for usually radical change in society as a result of either cultural, social, religious, political or economic disputes due to diametrically opposed and uncompromising ideas about the leadership, administration and management of the population and territory it occupies, and which it resolved through use of weapons. This would seem to describe the current situation in Mexico today as the Mexican government wages war against the powerful Mexican drug cartels.

Just since the beginning of this year more than 4,000 people have been murdered in Mexico in what authorities blame on the Mexican cartels and their criminal gangs and Para-military forces. 

An 11-year-old American citizen from El Paso was killed recently during a highway robbery on the Durango-Mazatlan road in Mexico. The boy, Rico Armando Bañuelas, was on a family trip to Mazatlan when robbers tried to stop the Volkswagen Jetta he was riding in near a section of mountain road known as “El Espinazo del Diablo,” (the devil’s spine), El Siglo De Durango newspaper reported.

The robbers opened fire, killing Rico, when the Jetta sped past a roadblock the bandits had set up and used to rob bus passengers and another vehicle. Rey del Valle, and Rico’s mother, Norma Patricia Chairez, were wounded.

“U.S. citizens should be aware of the risk posed by the deteriorating security situation, in Mexico and along the border” said a statement issued in Mexico City and Washington. “Violent criminal activity, including murder and kidnapping, in Mexico has increased.”

New cases of disappearances and kidnap-for-ransom continue to be reported. No one can be considered immune from kidnapping on the basis of occupation, nationality, or other factors. Criminals have been known to follow and harass U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles, particularly in border areas including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, Reynosa, Juarez, Mexicali, Tijuana and most all border towns. 

23 year old American Kyle Mostello Belanger has been reported missing since last May and believed to have been kidnapped and is being held against his will for ransom in Juarez Mexico. The information has been forwarded to the Mexican Government and to the FBI and other U.S. agencies with no apparent follow-up investigations much less locating arresting and punishing his perpetrators.

U.S. law enforcement authorities helped facilitate a $32,000 ransom payment in Mexico for a relative of a U.S. congressman who was kidnapped by gunmen in Ciudad Juarez, a border city across from El Paso Texas.

The kidnapping took place in Mexico not on U.S. soil but in a feign country. The victim was not even an American citizen but a Mexican national.

Until a prominent US citizen is abducted, the problem will not receive much attention in the media or from the Public.

Jake Mendoza of El Paso, called the Journal and asked “How is it that a kidnapping in a feign country of a feign national gets investigated and resolved by American law enforcement while other not so connected Americans who are currently being held for ransom some who are believed to have been kidnapped from American soil, and taken to a feign country and held for ransom. While still other Americans have been executed, murdered, wounded and held for ransom in Mexico with no apparent U.S. Law enforcement investigation or follow-up? How can that be?”

According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff asked for an investigation into Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) recent efforts in procuring the release of a Mexican woman kidnapped in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

The family raised the money, according to the memo. On June 21, two men on a motorcycle collected the ransom money at a Juarez street corner but sped off and eluded investigators who had staked out the drop site.

Mrs. Posselt was released several hours later, and Mexican authorities quickly transferred her to their American counterparts, who rushed her to the United States for “security reasons,” according to the ICE memo.

No arrests have been made

La Mesa California woman Libby Gianna Craig was among four people found shot to death in a canyon near Rosarito Beach in Baja California.The 28-year-old was in an area known as Morro Canyon along with three Afro-American males, Mexican police identified as “Black Americans”. Early reports also said more bodies were found in a separate location at different points of Playas de Rosarito, reported some Mexican papers.  

All the shootings were apparently deliberate, targeted, not just random bystanders caught up in the wave of violence that has engulfed U.S. Mexican border cities, Mexican authorities said.

Also recently four Americans were shot and wounded as they were leaving the Arriba Chihuahua nightclub in the ProNaF tourist zone in the violent Mexican border city of Juárez.

The Mexican government has described much of the violence as revenge for President Felipe Calderón’s year-old crackdown on organized crime that sent thousands of soldiers and federal police into violence-plagued Mexican cities and all Mexican cities bordering the United States.

The Mexican President Calderon, as while as other officials have pledged to break the country’s powerful drug cartels, which earn billions of dollars a year by supplying U.S. users. 

The State Department said police forces in Mexican border communities “suffer from lack of funds and training, and the judicial system is weak, overworked and inefficient.”

“I worry that the inability of local law enforcement to come to grips with rising drug warfare, kidnappings and random street violence will have a chilling effect on the cross-border exchange, tourism and commerce so vital to the region’s prosperity,” Traffickers are armed with AK-47 assault rifles, grenade launchers and bazookas. They’re carrying other weapons, wearing vests and using police jargon. Within a minute or two, someone is shoving a hood over the victim’s head and dragging him into a vehicle. His car is left on the side of the road – often outgunning and intimidating border police, sheriff depts., and Mexican security forces.

An alarming number of Americans are vanishing in Mexico where there has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of U.S. citizens who have recently been reported missing or kidnapped along the border with Mexico, reports the Washington Post. Many who have vanished from U.S. cities are still missing and it is feared they will turn up in the mass graves that have been discovered lately in Mexico.  The U.S. Government is aiding Mexico under the provisions of the Merida Initiative, a multiyear $1.4 billion anti-narcotics package approved by Congress. As reported earlier this year in the Laguna/El Paso Journal many Americans are wondering when the Bush administration is going to raise the travel alert to its highest level “travel warning,” to forewarn American travelers to Mexico? How many American citizens are going to have to be shot, executed or kidnapped before the American government move to prevent needless deaths and issue the proper high alert of “travel warning,” for Americans

Drug wars in Mexico have claimed the lives of a dozen or more journalists. 

Last year the Houston Chronicle reported that “Statistics vary among watchdog groups, but they agree that Mexico has surpassed Colombia, a country plagued by decades of guerrilla and drug violence, in the number of journalists killed each year. Seven Mexican journalists were slain last year, according to a count by the Miami-based Inter American Press Association. The Paris-based Reporters without Borders tallied nine killings, and the Federation of Mexican Journalist Associations reported 12. 

According to the Chronicle, “Many Mexican reporters, particularly in the embattled border states, have stopped writing about organized crime, and, as the drug war spreads south, journalists across the country are becoming targets. On May 3, World Press Freedom Day, the decapitated body of a local drug dealer turned up outside a newspaper in the eastern port city of Veracruz. According to local press reports, the killers left this warning: ‘For Milo, you’ll all pay. You know it, and more heads of damned reporters are going to roll.’ The threat was presumed to be directed at Milo Vera, a local columnist. ‘There’s total impunity,’ said Jose Antonio Calcanio, president of the Federation of Mexican Journalists Associations, which represents 137 journalist groups nationwide. ‘The government has no interest in resolving any of these cases,’ Calcanio said. ‘It’s only when there’s a prominent case like Amado Ramirez that they pretend to act, but then they forget, and nothing happens.’ Two suspects were arrested in the days after the radio host’s murder, but both were released on bail. Many of Ramirez’s colleagues suspect the men were scapegoats.”

Dozens of U.S. citizens have been kidnapped, or held hostage, or killed by their captors in Mexico and many cases remain unsolved. Moreover, new cases of disappearances and kidnap-for-ransom continue to be reported.

From Brownsville Texas to San Diego California and as far north as Dallas Texas Americans are being kidnapped and killed. All of this is escalating narcotics-related violence across northern Mexico; the State Department has alerted Americans of the dangers of crossing the border. But there are no alerts of Americans being kidnapped right here on U.S. soil and being taken and held for ransom or even killed.  

Mexican cartels through there enforcers of Mexican and American gangs order smaller American gangs to kidnap and in some cases murder Americans.

Mexican cartel Los Zetas paramilitary surrogates attacked and slaughtered an American in Phoenix Ariz. Police say the attackers were dressed in black military like combat uniforms very similar to known Mexican cartel paramilitary gangs.

Phoenix papers report that 6 Mexicans killed a Phoenix man who was found dead by police in a local neighborhood home riddled with more than 100 bullets. Of the few that the FBI reported as known kidnappings there were 30 U.S. citizens that have been kidnapped or disappeared, nine were later released, two found dead and 13 still missing.

The FBI now refuses to estimate the numbers of Americans being kidnapped or murdered in Mexico. These earlier reports were out dated and officials believe the real numbers are much greater. All 30 were Americans just from the San Diego area alone. How many other U.S. citizens are there? No one seems to know for sure. But there are others more from border cities like El Paso.

“The U.S. government would like to think that drug violence is just a problem south of the Rio Grande. It isn’t,” said Raymundo Ramos, a human rights advocate in Nuevo Laredo.

It’s believed now that there are many more Americans missing many others from Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, Reynosa, Juarez, Mexicali, Tijuana and other border cities. When asked, the FBI said they have no other numbers other then those 30 reported. However my source says El Paso FBI agent Josie Figaro was notified of at least one episode. And it is believe there are others.

Law enforcement officials said some of the vanishings may be owing to a war among Mexican drug cartels vying for control of the smuggling routes and ports of entry which are the gateway for millions of dollars’ worth of illicit drugs that are smuggled north by truck, car, boats and trains and mixed in with cargoes of legitimate goods.

U.S. officials say, “We’re seeing outright lawlessness along the U.S. Mexican border. Things are just getting out of hand.”

Historically, drug-related violence was generally confined to the Mexican side of the border, news reports disclosed. However that pattern is changing, advised officials.

In spite of the dangers Mexico continues to attract U.S. citizens who want to visit relatives or buy cheaper medicines, have cut rate dental work done or prescription eyewear or just be a tourist. It is also a draw for young people, who migrate there on weekends to party late and enjoy the lower drinking age of 18.

Mexico has sent federal police officers and Mexican army personal to patrol the streets of most of their cities bordering the U.S. The officers were dispatched at the request of local authorities who said crime had spun out of control.

“U.S. citizens should be aware of the risk posed by the deteriorating security situation,” the State Department advisory has said, though it stopped short of urging Americans to avoid Mexico. Downtown El Paso businessman Jamie Rodriguez said “if the same circumstance that now exist in Mexico existed in any other country the U.S. State Dept would advise Americans to not even go there.”

The close relationship between the two governments and indeed both presidents may contribute to that lenience shown Mexico by the U.S. Government.  

In Mexico another dangerous crime against tourist is you can be kidnapped in what is more like a shakedown or robbery than a classic ransom situation. As what is believed happened to 11-year-old American Rico Armando Ba̱uelas. An FBI official said this apparent burgeoning of a cottage industry of kidnapping for ransom Рsome of those returned alive had been held captive for days or even months, after their abductors demanded payments as high as $100,000.

American tourists have reported to the Mexican police that while driving along main and rural roads at dusk or after dark. Road blocks are set up. This can be as sophisticated as a movable plank with spikes or as low-tech as glass or sharp rocks. When their motor home or car is disabled, a group of armed banditos approached them with guns drawn. Often, a truck or van parked on the side of the road starts up and slowly approaches the scene. The men often dressed as Mexican police begin to take their possessions and rummage through their belongings. Then in many cases it is reported they take all the victims cash. Victims report hoods are placed over their heads they are loaded into trucks or SUV’s and driven to another location. You might be asked again for more money. In more cases then not Mexican police report the woman are raped and the victim tourists are abandoned far from their vehicle.

There have been reported some high-profile cases where the victims, including two American college women, who were slain after they were robbed.

Sophisticated Mexican groups plot abductions Organized, well-financed and violent Mexican kidnapping cells are targeting a growing number of U.S. citizens visiting Mexico.

While the FBI wouldn’t say what the ransom demands are, or how often they’re paid, agents said money is driving the increase.

Some of the kidnappings go unreported because people fear retribution, said Eric Drickersen, who supervises the FBI’s border liaison office.  

Even the U.S. Military has been band from entering Mexico because of the increasing violence. U.S. Military officials say they’ve discontinued issuing passes to soldiers who want to travel across the border to Mexico. “If it’s not safe for U.S. Soldiers, than it is unsafe for other Americans”. Said, John Lutes who was born in the border city of El Paso Texas and served in the military.

Mexican Drug cartels are ordering decapitations blind foldings and hooding victims before they shoot them. The Cartels are sending a chilling message to the Mexican President Felipe Calderon Administration by adopting methods of intimidation made notorious by Middle Eastern terrorist groups. Google or click on: New Terrorist Bases South Of the Border

Dozens of people have been decapitated in Mexico so far this year, with heads stuck on fence posts, found in trash bags and heads being tossed onto a nightclub dance floor for all to see. Report on Mexican Violence

An unknown– but significant– number of executions continues to occur in the states of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas as well as: Chihuahua, Baja California Norte, Tabasco, Guerrero, Michoacan, Veracruz, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Chiapas and Coahuila.

All Mexico States are experiencing numerous law enforcement deaths, as well as multiple kidnappings occurring regularly.

Kidnappings as warnings to government and other enemies were recorded with specific MESSAGES attached.

Evaluated methods and types of Violence to murder victims were: Physical beating, torture, release on street, or body dumped on street or lot torture involving beating, tooth removal, appendage removal, death by torture, strangulation, single shot to head and/or multiple shots to head and body.

Other tactics were same as above with head and/or face fully or partially wrapped with duct tape or other head wrappings or blind folds. Bodies often disposed of by the alternate “Pozole” method.

Many were beheaded with or without written messages on bodies or in vehicles.

Many Mexican law enforcement officers have joined the cartels for money or in some cases they themselves if they did not cooperate with the cartels they would become victims of that horror.

Warning before reviewing document many will find the text offensive and the photo’s gruesome: para_bsmc_2.pdf   

Google:  Young girl raped and beheaded in Florida by Mexican traffickers

Masks or respirators are the devices designed to protect you from inhaling harmful fumes, dust, gases and vapors etc. These masks are available in the market in ample range of assortments (type, size etc.) used by industries, public, and the military. These masks would range from low cost, single use, and even you can avail reusable models with replaceable cartridges.  With the increased danger of virulent diseases such as plague, avian, these masks have gained more popularity.An N95 mask appears to be a plain, white cloth with elastic straps around to have a knot around the ears and strip of metal to cover the nose. Professionals found that some throwaway masks are of no value in blocking harmful air contaminants and they are saying that diseases and biological weapons can only be filtered out by the use of an N95 mask. There are substitutes for N95’s masks, these masks blocks out 95 % of contaminants.  These masks are made of rough cotton and porous paper for the exterior purpose, while latex used for middle layer.These masks are cleared by CDC as an effective method for reducing the chances of contracting airborne diseases.  As we are seeing in the current world, Flues and contagious diseases are becoming rampant.  In these situations, N95 masks would be of help in reducing the chances of avoiding the people infected from the airborne diseases. These masks will not allow bacteria and other microscopic organisms, as small as one micron in diameter.People generally believe that masks that look like an N95 would have the same functionality. There are some masks which have a very near look to the N95 masks, which were used at hardware stores, constructions to dust inhaled. So, be care while selecting a N95 masks. These masks are manufactured by different brands. While getting a N95 masks you check it weather it is stamped with NIOSH N95. Which ensures the mask is qualified in the government efficiency. These masks would prevent the people from infections or infecting the other person. Remind one thing- “prevention is better than cure”.

Everyone remembers military recruiters sitting behind a booth in their high school cafeteria, but few remember the sailors or soldiers talking about their military careers in the classrooms. That’s the inspiration behind a new Navy program started by Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert. His instructions were simple: he asked the Sailors working for him to take on an additional mission as they traveled around the world — tell their Navy stories to young Americans.Greenert’s goal, then and now, is for young Americans to gain a greater understanding of what it means to serve in the military and the opportunities a life in uniform can provide by hearing the stories of active-duty Sailors.The philosophy behind the program is that many American school children simply have never heard what it is that sailors do, and what a naval career entails. It’s hoped that by hearing from successful, well-trained sailors that high schools students will think of the Navy, not just as a temporary adventure, but as a viable career.  ”This is one of the ways we in the Navy can compete with Fortune 500 companies for the best talent in the nation,” said Lt. Cmdr. Henry Gourdine. “By having deckplate leaders visit schools and tell students honestly about their own experiences in the Navy, they can see someone who is just a few years removed from where they sit and know that they can achieve the same goals.”Lt. Cmdr. Kelly Fletcher believes academics are the foundation for whatever career students choose in life.”The Navy provided me with the opportunity for education, and I tell them about the many opportunities I have had in the Navy,” Fletcher said. “These students are smart; they ask very pointed questions, and they are interested in preparing now for the future.”And one of the prime ways that men and women can meet their academic goals while serving in the Navy is by taking advantage of the benefit known as Navy Tuition Assistance, or TA, as it is commonly known across the service branches.

Navy TA provides sailors with $4,500 a year in funds that they can use for career training. The money renews each year and sailors can use it at accredited vocational training schools, community colleges or universities.

This is especially important for people who are looking to make the navy a career and eventually reach the Sr. Chief Petty officer rank in the Navy. Starting in 20ll, all E-8 sailors must have an associate degree at the minimum. Sailors who wish to reach the rank of E-8 should consider using their TA funds to earn their associate degree

In terms of earning a bachelor’s degree, many service members consider majoring in criminal justice. A criminal justice degree is a great fit for military personnel because service members may have already experienced the kind of training that police officers are required to have.

Even if a Sailor chooses to spend 20 years in the Navy, a degree in criminal justice will open up the possibility of a law enforcement career when they return to civilian life.

Dressing up in clothes that flatter your height, accessorising appropriately, and maintaining the proper hairstyle can have a significant impact on how tall you appear. Here are a few style tips to follow to look taller than you actually are.

1. Vertical Stripes

Wearing vertical stripes creates an optical illusion that makes you appear thinner and taller than you actually are. Vertically striped shirts worn over dark colored pants will help you look taller without turning you into a fashion disaster.

Horizontal stripes, on the other hand, have the converse effect. They make you appear fatter, as well as shorter. Avoid them like the plague.

2. Solid, Dark Colors

Solid colors in dark shades delineate the torso line (where the torso ends and the legs start off), which helps make your legs appear longer than they actually are. Not only will you look seriously fashionable, but also a couple of inches taller if you pair up a solid, dark colored shirt with dark pants. This is the reason why you’ll see so many short celebrities dressing up in all black.

3. Short Hair

Long hair tends to obscure the line between your chin and your neck, giving the appearance of a short and thick neck. This not only makes you appear fatter but also shorter than you actually are. Therefore, keep your hair clipped, military-style, if possible to look your tallest.

4. Hats

Accessorize properly with the right headgear to add an inch or two to your height. Baseball hats, for instance, make you appear shorter by covering your hair completely (not to mention that they are seriously out of fashion). Fedora hats, army hats, Spencer hats, on the other hand, have the opposite effect.

Choose your headgear wisely if you want to look taller.

5. Shoes

For obvious reasons, avoid shoes with flat soles. Instead, get shoes with at least an inch of heel. Bigger heels are obviously better, but too big heels can look very odd (and seriously unfashionable). A 1.5 inch heel is the most you should aim for.

6. Insoles

Paired together with a decently heeled shoe, an inch thick insole can increase your height by 2-3 inches. Great for an evening out when you want to make an impression and not appear head & shoulders below everybody else.

Today’s Secret Service serves two missions, protection as well as criminal investigations. While the Secret Service is seen mostly today as the agency that protects the President, it was originally established to investigate counterfeiting of US currency. It was only after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901 that the Secret Service made protecting the president, among others, its business.

Being a Secret Service Agent requires the ability to carry out both these missions, as an Agent an assignment can take someone any where in the world.

The Secret Service has grown over the years to fulfill many duties. Special Agents take part in investigative missions and protective missions; other agents form the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service. There are many career paths available.

Criminal Investigations

In 1865 the Secret Service was formed as a law enforcement agency and its mandate was to investigate the proliferation of counterfeiting US currency. Through criminal investigations the Secret Service protects the financial systems of the US.

Preventing counterfeiting of US currency plays a big role in achieving this mission. Today, the responsibilities have grown to include computer and telecommunications fraud, false identification of documents, and electronic funds transfers and money laundering to name a few. To stay on top of these crimes, the Secret Service takes a proactive approach to its investigations using advanced technologies. Many of the techniques and technology used are exclusive to them.

The 1994 Crime Bill brought the forensic and technical expertise of the Secret Service into matters involving missing and exploited children. The PROTECT Act of 2003 gave the Secret Service full authorization in this field.

Who the Secret Service Protects

The Secret Service protects the President, the Vice President, and the President-elect and Vice President-elect and the immediate families of the above individuals and other individuals next in order of succession to the Office of the President if the case should arise. Heads of foreign states or governments and their spouses traveling with them and other distinguished foreign visitors to the United States are protected as are official representatives of the United States on special assignments overseas are also protected. An Executive Order of the President can grant protection of the Secret Service to other individuals. They also protect National Special Security events, if designated by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

What does the Uniformed Division do?

The Uniformed Division was established to be the White House Police Force. There are currently more than 1,300 officers in the Uniformed Division. As part of the Uniformed Division, officers are responsible for security at the White House Complex including the Department of the Treasury, the vice president’s residence and foreign diplomatic missions in the Washington, DC area.

The Uniformed Division also provides additional support to the Secret Service’s protective mission through a number of units. These include the Countersniper Support Unit (CS), the Canine Explosives Detection Unit (K-9), the Emergency Response Team (ERT) and the Magnetometers Support Unit, a specialized unit in preventing armed persons in Secret Service protected areas.

In the Secret Service it takes more than just physical protection to safeguard a protectee. In order to prevent an incident before it happens, an agent must do advance work and perform threat assessments on any planned area of travel. The Intelligence Division has spent many years identifying these potential dangers.

To become an agent one must have a bachelor’s degree. A Degree in Intelligence Management, Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies, or Management of Personal Protection would not only give one the knowledge used in the Secret Service but anywhere in the strategic security industry.

The cardigan has long been a staple item of clothing in the wardrobe of many a woman – but, while cardigans have always been a unisex staple of knitwear, the men’s cardigan has recently experienced a fashion resurrection. In fact, the men’s cardigan is one of this year’s most essential male fashion items.

But this trend of male cardigans is nothing new. Famous male cardigan wearers throughout the twentieth century have included a range of personalities, from the American comedian Bill Crosby and the British comedian and TV presenter Simon Amstell, to the renowned children’s writer Roald Dahl and even rock legend Kurt Cobain.

In fact, the Cardigan was first named after James Thomas Brudnell, the 7th Earl of Cardigan, who was a British military commander during the Crimean War; since this time the cardigan has always been worn by both sexes. The male cardigan even made the headlines in the twentieth century, when the outspoken Bulgarian-born broadcaster and dissident, Georgi Markov, was involved in an attempted assassination – a poisonous pellet was saved from entering his skin too deeply because he was wearing a very thick woollen cardigan!

2007 sees a range of men’s cardigans transform a range of men’s fashion outlets – from the catwalk to designer boutiques and top high street fashion stores. Whether you’re looking for a smart cardigan to adorn a formal outfit, or you’re more interested in finding a stripy cardigan to complete an effortlessly casual look, 2007 is the year to enhance your wardrobe with cardigans!

This season’s collections sees many top fashion retailers in the UK take their influences from the Beatnik era of the 1950s and 1960s, with strains of Parisian chic and jazz-soaked fashion penetrating the Spring/Summer 2007 look. Casual cardigans were a large part of the sophisticated image perpetrated by both well-known French philosophers, like Jean Paul Sartre, and legends of the American beat generation, Jack Kerouac and William Boroughs. If this is the look you’re going for this season, then make sure you invest in some stripy cardigans or plain woollen cardigans for maximum effect.

And as the summer fast approaches, cardigans could also form an essential part of your festival fashion wardrobe. In fact, the men’s cardigan is one of the most flexible and adaptable items of clothing a man could own. For instance, a cardigan can be worn loose during the day over a t-shirt for a chic but informal look; however, paired with a skinny tie, smart trousers and formal shoes for an effortlessly stylish evening look. So make sure you’re not left out of this year’s men’s cardigan revolution and give yourself the freedom to adapt your look!

Well, this was a pretty quiet Veterans Day.  I didn’t go anywhere or celebrate in any particular way, but it sounds like an excuse to put up an article consisting of about twenty quiz questions involving Veterans Day and or military and war trivia questions and the like. 

I find military trivia quite interesting. I guess it’s a guy thing, war, army, fighter planes, tanks, bombs, and things of that nature are tied in somehow with testosterone.  I enjoy history too, and what else is trivia but historical facts!

I am a veteran of the Vietnam War myself by the way.  Thank you to all the rest of you fellow Veterans and you guys on active duty too. Those of you overseas, come home safe please.

You can copy and paste these military, wars, and battles trivia questions into your word processor, delete the answers, and print out the questions in your preferred format and presto… you’ve got a nice icebreaker for a party or other get together.

Ok, without further ado here is my Veterans Day Trivia Quiz!

1. How long did the Arab-Israeli War of 1967 last? A: Six days.

2. Where was the Bay of Pigs whose invasion sparked a world crisis in the 60s? A: Cuba.

3. Which major weapon of war was used for the first time in 1916? A: Tank.

4. What Operation was the codename for the D Day landings? A: Overlord

5. What marked the first time since the Revolution that the U.S. accepted direct financial aid to fight a war? A:   The Persian Gulf War.

6. What Civil War general graduated first in the West Point class of 1829? A:  Robert E. Lee

7. What opportunistic country declared war on Japan five days before its surrender in 1945? A: The Soviet Union.

8. What so called “war” spawned the dueling slogans “Better Dead Than Red” and “Better Red Than Dead” in the 1950s? A: The Cold War.

9. How were the height and width of modern American battleships originally determined? A: The ships had to be able to go beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and through the Panama Canal.

10. What was the name of the Japanese destroyer that sank PT-109, commanded by Lt. John F. Kennedy, on August 2, 1943? A: Amigiri.

11. How many times did the nuclear submarine USS Triton surface during its historic 1960 underwater circumnavigation of the globe? A: Twice–once to remove a sick crew member, and once to pay tribute to  Ferdinand Magellan on the island of Mactan in the Philippines, where the explorer was killed in 1521 during his circumnavigation of the globe.

12. What great military leader was an accomplished yo-yo player? A: Napoleon’s nemesis, the Duke of Wellington. At the time, the yo-yo was known as a bandalore.

13. Who was the youngest U.S. Army officer ever to be promoted to general? A: George Custer, a graduate of West Point, who became a general at age 23–14 years before his infamous battle of Little Big Horn.

14. What was the inspiration for the name Rough Riders–the name of the elite fighting unit Theodore Roosevelt organized for the Spanish-American War? A: The Rough Riders Hotel in Medora, North Dakota, where Roosevelt had tried ranching.

15. What American actor was given the British Distinguished Service Cross for commanding a flotilla of raiding craft for Admiral Louis Mountbatten’s commandos during World War II? A: Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

16. Who was the first American congressman to don a uniform following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941? A: President-to-be Lyndon Johnson, who served in the Navy

17. What actor has attained the highest U.S. military rank in history for an entertainer? A: James Stewart, who rose to the rank of a brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

18. You may remember the Alamo, but do you now what the word means in Spanish? A: Cottonwood.

19. Why did U.S. secret agents abandon plans–approved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt–to drop live bats from airplanes to frighten the Japanese during World War II? A: The bats froze at high altitudes, before they could be released.

20. What American military leader said, “Lafayette we are here,” and on what occasion? A: Gen. Black Jack Pershing, arriving in France in 1917 after the U.S. entered WWI.

When you think of camouflage, the first thing that probably comes to mind is standard issue greens that look like someone took three or four paintbrushes with different shades of green and splashed them randomly on the clothes. You probably also think of extremely insulated and thick material that almost feels like canvas. Thanks to modern technology, testing, and government awareness of the changing scenes of war, this is not always what is referred to when talking about camouflage anymore. While still in use and quite popular, this stereotyped camouflage is by far outdated in many instances and has been replaced in many cases with newer, more effective camouflage patterns. Depending on the use, soldiers may have various patterns worn for various circumstances.
Woodland camouflage is probably the most popular form and is the first thing that tends to come to mind when thinking of a camouflage pattern. It is the classic mixture of greens and browns with no real pattern that mimics the various hues of a forested area full of trees, leaves, and shrubs, thus earning its name. The most notorious and widely used camouflage pattern, woodland camouflage has been around for ages. However, over the years, it has been determined that this is not the most appropriate pattern to actually camouflage soldiers under all circumstances.
The desert 6 colors camouflage pattern came into use during Operation Desert Storm, as well as the wars in Somalia. Finding that the standard issue woodland camouflage actually stood out against the sandy, treeless backdrop of the Middle Eastern deserts, the United States military began to issue its soldiers these duds, which replaced the greens and dark browns with the colors of the desert – tan and light browns with smaller green markings sprinkled throughout. Also, these were made of a cotton/polyester blend, making them less insulating in the terrible heat of the desert.
A still further improvement in this area that is now being used by soldiers in Iraq is the desert 3 colors camouflage. These fatigues, as per their name, use only three colors – tan, beige, and standard brown. The three shades mimic the look of sand even better, allowing soldiers to literally blend into the dunes around them and never be noticed. Best of all, the desert 3 colors camouflage is typically 100% cotton, making them easily breathable in the 115 or above degree heat experienced in the Iraqi desert.
ACU digital camouflage has recently come into use in the United States Army as well. To picture this pattern, think of the game Tetris, with its various shapes created by putting blocks together. The greens and browns in these camouflage items are fitted together in this manner, appearing almost like pixels in a digital camera. This pattern has been found to blend into several environments, including woodland, desert, and urban locations. That makes this type of camouflage a great all purpose design.
A form of camouflage that works well in jungle and heavily leafy environments is tiger stripe camouflage. Looking like exactly what its name implies, the yellowish and greenish stripes (which appear almost black, depending on the lighting) help soldiers to blend into a jungle environment, where much of the greenery is in the form of long fronds and branches and where animals with stripes (tigers, as you may guess) tend to strike fear into the hearts of the enemy. Tiger stripe camouflage was used a lot in the Vietnam War.
City camouflage, also referred to as urban or subdued urban camouflage, is quite different. Instead of having the standard greens and browns, city camouflage is a woodland pattern made of mixed blacks and grays. These colors blend more with urban surroundings and allow police officers and SWAT teams to hide in heavily populated areas full of gray and black buildings. The pattern can also be useful for night raids. These are sometimes used at night in Iraq as well to help blend in with the extreme darkness that falls over the desert at night.
Obviously, woodland camouflage is no longer standard issue. While many other countries still use this design regardless of the application, the United States does everything possible to make their soldiers safe, as well as comfortable. The innovative techniques put into practice to help camouflage the soldiers today have saved lives and taken more danger than ever out of the daily responsibilities at the edge of the battlefield. With continued research, new camouflage patterns are being tested and issued all the time for efficacy, and as the need arises, soldiers will receive new patterns that could make their job even less dangerous.

The following nights, days we keep to our routines, 6 hours duty 6 hours readiness and sleep. If there is no problem we can rest within the six hours, though community service is still asked of everyone, and that includes scrubbing floors, kitchen, bathrooms, etc. Although not much physical activity is required, one begins to feel exhausted, mentally, the close space living together with others creates tensions.

On the other side all is quiet, the Turkish forces have been told of my presence and their commander sends an official letter to the command demanding to meet with me. Even here in the far away plains where my superiors post me in order to reduce my contacts with the Turkish force command, word of mouth travels fast. I am able to post an uncensored letter by field post to the Turkish force commander to inform him I am on the Pyla plateau, much to the dislike of my superiors, the local commander prefers my company to theirs, being accustomed to language and well conversant with the customs of the Turkish people in general.

It is of no surprise to me that my superior is informed in no uncertain terms that the Turkish command would like to see me returned to the main village. This , however this request is turned down, and becomes a political message. On a field visit I am personally informed by my company commander to refrain from contacting the Turkish forces, be it on social, or official meetings. I am outraged, and I can see the typical ‘narrow minded’ mentality in this statement. When asked about my background I gain some valuable points when I mentioned Hauptmann Lukesch, and it saves me from further inconvenience.

I am in charge of radio communications, and as such the portable emergency radio. Mentions worthy, the monotony that sets in, creating boredom and in some, anxieties. When stationed in Pyla one of my colleagues went to a local pub, asked to drink some ‘Cyprus Brandy’, gets drunk. In the aftermath some local youths snatch his rifle which he stupidly leaves near the entrance to the ‘Tavern’. When he discovers the theft, he gets berserk, already charged emotionally, follows the thieves with a Fin dagger drawn, into the nearest homes and frightens the local population. The local police is called in which informs the Military Police and the scenario is perfect. Court martial, repatriated disgracefully, he faces a civil suit back home, his career gone. The thieves later return the rifle, but he remains a victim of the highly charged emotions which gather steam during duty in the demilitarized zone.

Preparing for night duty at 24 HRS, I try to find some sleep around 8 PM and drift off as soon as I lay down, half way dressed, only our boots removed. I am awoken by a shrill whistle blow, amidst shouting ‘Alarm, Alarm’. I am up in a second, stumbling to my feet, searching frantically for my boots. I notice the darkness around me, we have no power. Torches beam at us, I hear the Lieutenant’s voice, Radio operator reporting to me in 2 minutes. How the heck do you want me to get ready in the darkness I think to myself. Within seconds I stumble with all my gear, clothes pulled over in haste, helmet, rifle slung, running into the command center next door, to grab the radio equipment. The radio is heavy and I struggle with its weight. Darkness all around us, I find the command ditch where our Lieutenant is already waiting for me, his helmet on I notice. I stand the rifle against the ditch, and set up the radio as per regulations, ready to make the initial contact. Comcen (Communications center) in Nicosia will be contacted. The Antenna is a foldable Antenna and needs to be unfolded. While this all happens in pitch darkness, the unthinkable happens and the Antenna is broken. Amidst sinister curses of the Lieutenant, who wants to earn his Laurels above all by staging the Alarm, I nearly burst out in laughter, once I realize what he is up to. He wants to impress his superiors that he is the ‘Best’ amongst the worst officers. All attempts to repair the Antenna proof fruitless, the call can not be made unless a spare Antenna is fixed.

Amidst the whole chaos he has created, a number of fellow comrades giggle from the other trenches when he announces the end of the practiced Alarm. I receive a scolding but notice that it was him who broke the Antenna and not me. The silence that follows proofs me right and I pack the equipment, rifle and stumble back through the darkness to return the radio gear. After assembling, we are reminded that this was a trial Alarm and we must be faster to get to our posts in the future. By now everyone in the platoon knows who we have as a leader. God forbids his presence in a real Emergency. I return after being dismissed to my bunk and relax the remaining 2 hours till my duty call. On this night, no further appearance by the Lieutenant is recorded, so the Logbook shows….

Next : Larnaca – a Helicopter ride .