Personal details of soldiers killed in Afghanistan
23 June 2010
Privates Tim Aplin, Ben Chuck, and Scott Palmer have been identified as the Australian commandos who died in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan on Monday.
Their families are receiving support from 2nd Commando Regiment and from the Defence Community Organisation, and have requested their privacy be respected during this difficult time.
Planning for the repatriation of the fallen Australian soldiers has begun, although the date for their return to Australia has not yet been confirmed.
All wounded personnel from the crash arrived at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre in Germany late last night local time, with their return to Australia yet to be determined.
There has been no substantial change to their medical assessment with four assessed to be in a satisfactory condition, one listed as in a serious condition and two in a very serious condition.
An investigation is underway into the cause of the incident however it is not believed to be the result of insurgent action.
“We have suffered over the past week, but we remain firmly committed to serving our nation to the very best of our ability,” said Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston on Monday evening.
The commandos were from the 2nd Regiment based in Sydney.
Sixteen Australians have now lost their lives since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
This is from the blog that I follow:
First of all, you have to understand a distinct difference between the North and the South.
If you're in the south, and you order a drink of water, there's a pretty good chance of ice cubes in it. The pitchers carried by waiters and waitresses often have a special side 'spout' that is designed to pour ice from the pitcher to the cup.
I have been told that if I order a drink in the north, it comes 'straight up', aka without ice.
This makes sense - it's generally colder the farther north you go (in the Northern Hemisphere, of course), so there's little need for ice, the opposite being true as you travel south. Apparently the Mason-Dixon line is the Ice Equator as well.
When in Texas (unless you find a restaurant trying to reserve resources, which generally warns you ahead of time), you will get ice in pretty much anything but milk and some kinds of juice.
You can of course ask for a drink without, but bear in mind that if you don't, it'll come on the rocks.
BACK to my initial subject; while we do in fact have 'gourmet' (as the grocery stores will tout it) teas, that is, things like Earl Grey, available, you should keep in mind that just because they say that does NOT mean that an English tourist will agree. But I'm talking about normal tea, Lipton packets etc. etc.
To some, the idea of 'iced tea' (which is pretty much tea on the rocks) is completely out of left field. To those of us used to 105-degree-in-the-shade springs, it is not.
There are two basic ways to get ice tea. One is to, of course, brew up a bunch of tea bags in hot water, allow to cool, and then drop a truckload of ice into it. The other way is to use special tea bags, designed to be used in cold water. However, this has a different taste than normal tea.
It's far more common to get ice(d) tea in a southern restaurant; if you want it hot, you have to specify. Most sit-down restaurants, the nice ones at least, have the option of 'hot tea' (yes, that is what you'll have to ask for!), and many have more than one flavor available. However, I wouldn't recommend it, unless it's winter or you get cold easily.
Another standard to keep in mind - and watch out for - is sweet tea. For those who are big on specific language, this'll drive you crazy - plain tea, without sugar, is almost universally referred to as 'unsweet' down here.
Sweet tea is almost definitely made so with white sugar. However, the usual rainbow-colored sugar substitutes are available in almost every restaurant, including (although much less so) Splenda. If you have dietary concerns, or simply do not like sugar, it's best to order the tea 'unsweet', and then flavor as you so choose. If you order in a restaurant without specifying, it tends to be a toss-up, so WATCH OUT!
Also keep in mind that everybody has their own opinions on sweetness. Some believe sweet tea should be impossible to move a spoon through, others prefer a more moderate taste. If you're filling a cup at an open soda fountain, which down here almost always have tea, it's a good idea to pour in just a little and then sip, to make sure the sweetness is alright.
There are a variety of specialty cold teas, many of which are worth at least one try. If you find yourself in the South, have a taste; in fact, it'll probably be preferable, considering the likely weather.
I'm excited because I am heading down to Texas for a short stay, and I will keep all of this advice in mind when ordering up. I'm really looking forward to the visit; us cowgirls love Texas :)
First of all, you have to understand a distinct difference between the North and the South.
If you're in the south, and you order a drink of water, there's a pretty good chance of ice cubes in it. The pitchers carried by waiters and waitresses often have a special side 'spout' that is designed to pour ice from the pitcher to the cup.
I have been told that if I order a drink in the north, it comes 'straight up', aka without ice.
This makes sense - it's generally colder the farther north you go (in the Northern Hemisphere, of course), so there's little need for ice, the opposite being true as you travel south. Apparently the Mason-Dixon line is the Ice Equator as well.
When in Texas (unless you find a restaurant trying to reserve resources, which generally warns you ahead of time), you will get ice in pretty much anything but milk and some kinds of juice.
You can of course ask for a drink without, but bear in mind that if you don't, it'll come on the rocks.
BACK to my initial subject; while we do in fact have 'gourmet' (as the grocery stores will tout it) teas, that is, things like Earl Grey, available, you should keep in mind that just because they say that does NOT mean that an English tourist will agree. But I'm talking about normal tea, Lipton packets etc. etc.
To some, the idea of 'iced tea' (which is pretty much tea on the rocks) is completely out of left field. To those of us used to 105-degree-in-the-shade springs, it is not.
There are two basic ways to get ice tea. One is to, of course, brew up a bunch of tea bags in hot water, allow to cool, and then drop a truckload of ice into it. The other way is to use special tea bags, designed to be used in cold water. However, this has a different taste than normal tea.
It's far more common to get ice(d) tea in a southern restaurant; if you want it hot, you have to specify. Most sit-down restaurants, the nice ones at least, have the option of 'hot tea' (yes, that is what you'll have to ask for!), and many have more than one flavor available. However, I wouldn't recommend it, unless it's winter or you get cold easily.
Another standard to keep in mind - and watch out for - is sweet tea. For those who are big on specific language, this'll drive you crazy - plain tea, without sugar, is almost universally referred to as 'unsweet' down here.
Sweet tea is almost definitely made so with white sugar. However, the usual rainbow-colored sugar substitutes are available in almost every restaurant, including (although much less so) Splenda. If you have dietary concerns, or simply do not like sugar, it's best to order the tea 'unsweet', and then flavor as you so choose. If you order in a restaurant without specifying, it tends to be a toss-up, so WATCH OUT!
Also keep in mind that everybody has their own opinions on sweetness. Some believe sweet tea should be impossible to move a spoon through, others prefer a more moderate taste. If you're filling a cup at an open soda fountain, which down here almost always have tea, it's a good idea to pour in just a little and then sip, to make sure the sweetness is alright.
There are a variety of specialty cold teas, many of which are worth at least one try. If you find yourself in the South, have a taste; in fact, it'll probably be preferable, considering the likely weather.
I'm excited because I am heading down to Texas for a short stay, and I will keep all of this advice in mind when ordering up. I'm really looking forward to the visit; us cowgirls love Texas :)
Monday, June 14, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Please take a minute today and tell President Obama to ban landmines. It would be so inspiring to see the United States of America take the leadership on something that affects so many people across the world.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
"The lack of media attention and NGO presence, combined with its historical isolation, has created a situation where civilians, instead of being viewed as the primary victims of this conflict, are seen almost as acceptable collateral damage."
-Amnesty International, South Asia to the Australian yesterday.
-Amnesty International, South Asia to the Australian yesterday.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
A U.S. soldier has been detained on suspicion of leaking a classified combat video to WikiLeaks.
Army Specialist Bradley Manning, 22, is the prime suspect in a case that involves a video that was posted on the whistle blowing website, WikiLeaks. The video in question is footage of a 2007 helicopter attack in Baghdad that claimed the lives of many innocent civilians.
Manning was stationed at Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Hammer when he was arrested two weeks ago. The arrest came about because of a tip from Adrian Lamo, a former computer hacker. Lamo told authorities that Manning had been bragging about leaking the footage to the site. According to Lamo, Manning has leaked more than 260,000 classified videos to WikiLeaks, including footage from another air strike in Garani, Afghanistan that involved civilians.
Lamo took to Twitter to explain the reasoning behind his decision to report Manning. He wrote that he reported Manning for fear that he was compromising national security. “I outed Manning as an alleged leaker out of duty. I would never out an Ordinary Decent Criminal. There’s a difference,” Lamo wrote.
The Pentagon has released the following statement:
“The Department of Defense takes the management of classified information very seriously because it affects our national security, the lives of our soldiers, and our operations abroad.”
Army Specialist Bradley Manning, 22, is the prime suspect in a case that involves a video that was posted on the whistle blowing website, WikiLeaks. The video in question is footage of a 2007 helicopter attack in Baghdad that claimed the lives of many innocent civilians.
Manning was stationed at Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Hammer when he was arrested two weeks ago. The arrest came about because of a tip from Adrian Lamo, a former computer hacker. Lamo told authorities that Manning had been bragging about leaking the footage to the site. According to Lamo, Manning has leaked more than 260,000 classified videos to WikiLeaks, including footage from another air strike in Garani, Afghanistan that involved civilians.
Lamo took to Twitter to explain the reasoning behind his decision to report Manning. He wrote that he reported Manning for fear that he was compromising national security. “I outed Manning as an alleged leaker out of duty. I would never out an Ordinary Decent Criminal. There’s a difference,” Lamo wrote.
The Pentagon has released the following statement:
“The Department of Defense takes the management of classified information very seriously because it affects our national security, the lives of our soldiers, and our operations abroad.”
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