Tag Archives: International

Amateur Radio Volunteers Assisting in Italian Earthquake Response

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IARU R1 logo(1)Radio amateurs are taking part in the response to the 6.2 magnitude earthquake on August 24 in central Italy, International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU-R1) President Don Beattie, G3BJ, reports. IARU Region 1 Emergency Communications Coordinator Greg Mossop, G0DUB, has requested that 7060 kHz (LSB ±10 kHz) be kept clear of non-emergency traffic, as well as any other center-of-activity (COA) frequencies that may be in use for emergency communication within Italy. (On 80 meters, the COA frequency is 3760 kHz). Other frequencies reported to be active include 7045, 3643, and 3580 kHz (PSK).

The earthquake claimed some 240 lives, although rescue operations are still under way. According to the IARU Region 1 website, Italian radio amateurs are active in the emergency response, and no outside assistance has been requested at this time.

According to Beattie, the Italian Amateur Radio volunteers are “following their planned response with their government” and that any requests for information on missing persons should be made via the Red Cross or other recognized relief organizations.

The worst loss of life was in the town of Amatrice, where more than 180 people died. Tremors in the aftermath of the initial quake were felt as far away as Rome. Survivors are staying in tents or otherwise out of doors. A reported 4300 people were said to be active in rescue operations in the region.

Amateur Radio Relay League sponsors National Parks on the Air

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NPOTABeginning on January 1 and running through December 31 of 2016, the Amateur Radio Relay League will sponsor the special event National Parks On the Air (Facebook). This event does not begin until January 1, so amateur radio operators have time to register.

Since the 100th anniversay of the ARRL ended in 2014, amateur radio operators have pushed for another year-long event . The ARRL responded to the requests with this year-long event coordinated with the National Parks Service to celebrate their 100th anniversary. There are several awards and certificates available for this event, but HAM operators must register through the ARRL special web site.

Ham operators conduct several events throughout the year to earn certificates and awards. One is called contesting where an operator attempts to contact as many other Ham radio operators around the world as they can in a specified time. Ham operators set up in remote locations and send special cards, called QSL cards, to Ham operators who contact them.

A recent example is the 2015 Route 66 On The Air event. They even made a stop and broadcast in Williams and Flagstaff.

Ham radio operators will “activate” radio units in various parks, such as the Grand Canyon. “Chasers” will try to contact these Activators all year long to collect certificates. Regular paper logs will not be accepted for the event. Amateur radio operators will have to register in the ARRL Log of the World

The history of amateur radio extends to the days when radio transmissions began. Most contacts were made through morse code (called CW or continous wave in Ham radio) transmissions. Today there are a plethora of different radios and contact methods. You are encouraged to learn and use CW, but it is no longer required to obtain a license from the Federal Communications Commission.

Those “activators” will also demonstrate the capablity of Ham radio for uninitiated visitors to the park. They will answer questions and advise people on how they can become licensed Ham radio operators.

If you are interested in learning more about the Amateur Radio Service, how to obtain a license and participate in this event, you can check out the ARRL web site.

Happy Liberation Day Italy

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April 25

Happy Liberation Day! The day tyranny died in Italy!640px-Flag_of_Italy.svg

Liberation Day is a national holiday in Italy that is annually celebrated on April 25. It marks the fall of Mussolini’s Italian Social Republic and the end of the Nazi occupation in Italy in 1945, towards the end of the second World War.

New Geological Analysis Greatly Bolsters Probability Tomb of Jesus has Been Found

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300-4JERUSALEM /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A recently completed study by an Israeli geologist has greatly increased the probability that an ancient tomb on the outskirts of Jerusalem is the final resting place of Jesus of Nazareth and his family.

The new findings by Dr. Aryeh Shimron have linked an ossuary, or bone box, inscribed with the phrase “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus” by its chemical “fingerprint” to a tomb encased in a rose garden between a group of nondescript apartments in Talpiot, a Jerusalem suburb. The tomb, discovered during construction in 1980, housed a remarkable collection of ossuaries upon which were inscribed several names associated with the family of the New Testament Jesus.

Although the names in the Talpiot Tomb, (which included “Jesus, son of Joseph,” “Maria,” “Mariamene,” “Yose,” and others) were common in first-century Jerusalem, a cluster of names associated with Jesus in one location is statistically compelling, and unique in the archeological evidence of his life. If yet another name associated with the New Testament family can now be sited at Talpiot, it becomes a kind of statistical snowball and creates a near-certainty that the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth has been found.

“I think I’ve got really powerful, virtually unequivocal evidence that the James ossuary spent most of its lifetime, or death time, in the Talpiot Tomb,” Shimron told the New York Times.
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ISIS Camp a Few Miles from Texas, Mexican Authorities Confirm

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Wikipedia Photo

MEXICO — Recent reports racing across the Internet indicate that ISIS has set up cells inside Mexico and that Mexican authorities are aware of their presence.

Judicial Watch reports that the ISIS terrorists are being assisted by the Mexican drug cartels. Their report states;

…cartel-backed “coyotes” are also smuggling ISIS terrorists through the porous border between Acala and Fort Hancock, Texas.

According to Judicial Watch:

ISIS is operating a camp just a few miles from El Paso, Texas, according to Judicial Watch sources that include a Mexican Army field grade officer and a Mexican Federal Police Inspector.

The exact location where the terrorist group has established its base is around eight miles from the U.S. border in an area known as “Anapra” situated just west of Ciudad Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Another ISIS cell to the west of Ciudad Juárez, in Puerto Palomas, targets the New Mexico towns of Columbus and Deming for easy access to the United States, the same knowledgeable sources confirm.

During the course of a joint operation last week, Mexican Army and federal law enforcement officials discovered documents in Arabic and Urdu, as well as “plans” of Fort Bliss – the sprawling military installation that houses the US Army’s 1st Armored Division. Muslim prayer rugs were recovered with the documents during the operation.

This report should certainly shed light on one of the purposes of the Second Amendment and why “civilians” are supposed to be able to own “military-style” weapons according to Federalist Paper No. 29.

More at Judicial Watch

This is no whopper. The whiff of elegance?

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640-whopperJAPAN — It may sound like a whopper, but it is not. It just smells like one.

According to FOX News, Burger King plans to unveil their Whopper-scent cologne only in Japan and only on April 1.

But this is no joke at a cost ¥5000 ($40) for the “flame-grilled” fragrance. The date marks “Whopper Day” at the company.

“No, Dear, I did not fall off of my diet. That’s cologne I’m wearing!”

ISIS forces repelled by Iraqi forces

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isis-assesAccording to a FOX news report, Iraqi Security Forces repelled an attack by ISIS on an air base in Anbar province. Reports were that more than 300 Marines training Iraqis might be surrounded.

It turns out that the reports were exaggerated. Apparently eight terrorists attempted to break into the facility.

According to FOX news annalist General Jack Keane, the attempt was simply to get headlines. It appears that the U.S. Marines were never in danger.

The ray of sunshine in Osprey Bay

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AUSTRALIA – A man in Western Australia seemed to be having a bad day with his radio controlled plane. Around December of 2014, he was flying his R/C plane equipped with a GoPro 3+.

He was flying over Osprey Bay in the Cape Range National Park and getting some amazing aerial footage. A few minutes into the flight, however, he lost control of the makeshift drone which crashed into the saltwater of the bay.

He was, apparently, able to recover the wreckage. Probably thinking it was the end to a bad day, he was surprised to learn that his camera kept recording and recorded images he never expected. The edited video is picking up a lot of views around the world.

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Oxford University Press sure to please McCain

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domestic-pigJohn McCain has long opposed returning tax dollars to Arizona in the guise of fighting pork. He prefers to let others in Congress return tax dollars to their States.

According to Fox News a report out of England should please the Senator. The Oxford University Press warned its authors not to write about bacon and pork in order to avoid offending Muslims. The move by the largest university book publisher was revealed on a BBC Radio 4 program discussing free speech in light of the terrorist attack on Charle Hebdo magazine in Paris.

Sun News reported that a spokesperson to RT.com said:

the books needed to be “acceptable in other cultures” for them to be exported. The books, which are sold in over 150 countries, need to “consider a range of cultural differences and sensitivities.”

Oddly enough the idea has been attacked by both Jews and Muslims. Both Judaism and Islam abhor eating pork. Muslim labour MP Khalid Mamood is quoted as saying it is absolute and utter nonsense.

Pork is, of course, the product of pigs and made into a variety of products. Ham and bacon is the most popular.

Bacon is made out of other meats, such as turkey and chicken. Pork bacon is still the most popular. Pork bacon is used at breakfast and on a number of fast foods such as bacon cheeseburgers. Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches are a popular fare in many parts of the United States and United Kingdom. Ham is another product of pork which is a popular addition to meals. The ham is a popular addition to the Christmas holiday in the form of the Christmas ham. Pork is also used as a supplement to beans.

There are a number of pork recipes which call for pork as a main dish. Pulled pork, pork stir-fry and pork tenderloin. Pork chops have always been a popular Sunday dish.

Apparently Oxford University Press will no longer publish books on farming.

The 12 Days of Williams: August 2014

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Williams started August with rain and hail so heavy that it caused traffic to slow to the speed limit.

The weather caused some beautiful displays in Williams.

Congressional Democrats were so busy complaining about obstruction by the Republicans that they forgot to pass over 350 bills which languished on the desk of Harry Reid. Steve Stockman of Texas introduced a bill to address the border crisis. Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas submitted her own proposal. This probably helped Independent voter registration to rise in Arizona.

The Panama Canal saw its 100th anniversary.

Senate Web Site photo

Senate Web Site photo

Deputy County Attorney Ammon Barker received Prosecutor of the Year Award.

Arizona State Senator Chester Crandell passed away in August. Former State Senator Sylvia Allen was chosen to replace him on the ballot in November.

Using sophisticated statistical analysis, the Northern Arizona Gazette predicted the outcome of the city council race in Williams. Primary 2014 had few surprises.

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Cool Country Cruise-In returned to Williams. (See Also)

Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center held a pool party.
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The annual Thunder Over Coconino event was held in Valle.

A 38-year-old male was arrested for trespassing on a houseboat on Lake Powell and apparently holding a party. A man turned himself in for sexual misconduct with a minor. A Flagstaff man was arrested for sexual assault.

Coconino County Sheriff Photo

Coconino County Sheriff Photo

Coconino County Deputies were called to investigate a man struck by lightning and participated in an armed intruder response exercise.

The Coconino County Sheriff and Flagstaff Police warned against phone scams.

A serious accident occurred on I-40 near Bellemont.

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Williams held its annual Labor Day weekend celebration.
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Arizona State Senator Chester Crandell