View allAll Photos Tagged Contingency
A General Purpose Machine Gunner(GPMG) from The 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (1PWRR) during Exercise Bavarian Charger.
The exercise was the first of three large contingency operation exercises being undertaken by 20th Armoured Brigade between May – October 2013.
The aim of this exercise is to train the 5 Rifles, The Queens Dragoon Guards (QDG) Battle Groups and 1 Logistic Support Regiment in combined arms manoeuvre.
The exercise is split into 3 main phases. The first phase consists of a two week live firing exercise in Grafenwoer, Southern Germany, that enables the units and soldiers to refine their skills with their equipment and weapons. Training is constructed to develop skills from the individual level through to the Battlegroup level and culminates in a final attack that sees the use of helicopters, tanks, artillery and infantry combined.
The second phase will see all the exercising units transition from Grafenwoer to Hohnfels, some 100 km further south and simulates the kind of movements that are undertaken when moving an Armed force into hostile territory.
The third, and final phase is designed to test the planning and execution of combined arms manoeuvre operations in a hostile environment. The units will execute orders based on the delivery of Brigade Orders to defeat the enemy within the scenario.
2100 personnel with upto 768 vehicles ranging from Landrover, to Tanks to Apache helicopters are being exercised from 20th Armoured Brigade whose Headquarters are based in Sennelager, Germany. Approximately 500 personnel are required to support those training to ensure that supplies are maintained, vehicles are fixed and soldiers fed.
NOTE TO DESKS:
MoD release authorised handout images.
All images remain crown copyright.
Photo credit to read - Cpl Wes Calder RLC
Email: wescalder@mediaops.army.mod.uk
richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk
shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk
Richard Watt - 07836 515306
Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723
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© Crown Copyright 2014
Photographer: Cpl Wes Calder RLC
Image 45158228.jpg from www.defenceimages.mod.uk
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Evil Star comes rushing into Lex’s office. He and Lex had a contingency if things were going sour he would be able to be teleported out just like Lex did three years ago. He comes in out of breath and sweaty. Lex is present in the office alongside Calculator as the two are discussing something with a hologram of Iron Heights Prison on the table. As Evil Star approaches them, Calculator shuts off the hologram and his eyes meet Evil Star’s.
Evil Star: “You did not tell me the entire Justice League would be present, Luthor! You told me only Green Lantern would show up and that I would be able to finish what I started three years ago!”
Evil Star’s eyes start glowing red and he balls his fist, only to be stopped by Calculator of all people.
Kuttler: “Easy there, big guy. Your mission might not have been a success, but ours was.”
Evil Star’s eyes start to go back to normal and he first takes a look at Calculator which then shifts to Luthor in a confused way.
Evil Star: “What is he talking about?”
“The Injustice League was sent there to steal a rare form of Kryptonite with a silver glow to it. Your personal mission was to kill the Green Lantern and settle the score. That was not the real mission however.”
Evil Star: “Explain. Now.”
“You were just a distraction. You see, we suspected that Batman had gotten word about my plans of bringing together a group of supervillains. To make sure my plans would stay a secret, I needed a distraction. I needed to make sure Batman and the League thought either they defeated this group of supervillains, or that I had nothing to do with it. Since I never got a visit from the League, my plan worked.”
Evil Star: “I was just a distraction?! Me?! The destroyer of worlds was a distraction?!”
“For the greater good. Because of your distraction, the Flash wasn’t present in his hometown, Central City. Located in Central City is Iron Heights Prison which houses some of the most dangerous criminals this country has ever seen. An associate of mine who goes by the Key managed to slip into Iron Heights with the Flash gone and freed two contacts of Calculator here who were willing to join my Legion. Giganta and Weather Wizard. They will be of great assistance to our cause, all thanks to you, my friend.”
Evil Star looks perplexed. He feels betrayed. Used by someone he considered kind and helpful to his cause.
“The mission overall was a success, and you are free to leave now. Enjoy destroying worlds and Green Lanterns.”
Evil Star: “No. You don’t just get to use me, Luthor. I want something in return for what you made me do. I want in on your Legion. Let me be a part of this, and I can assure you that with the right team members, I will destroy Green Lantern, and the rest of his puny Justice League.”
Lex notices Calculator wants to speak up to the supervillain but he raises his hand, indicating he’ll take care of this.
“Meet me back here in thirty minutes and we’ll discuss your place on my Legion. Fair enough?”
Evil Star grunts. “Fair enough.”
Evil Star turns around and leaves the office. As soon as he’s out the door, Calculator turns towards Lex.
Kuttler: “He doesn’t fit in our plan at all, Lex. How are you going to fix this?”
“Relax, Kuttler. I’ve already taken precautions on this. Have Sinestro and Ivy come to me asap.”
Thirty minutes pass by and Evil Star makes his way back to Luthor’s office. He thinks to himself, with these resources and better people, I can make the Green Lanterns suffer. Take out the entire Justice League as well, and when that’s done I’ll be able to destroy this puny world. And I’ll make sure Luthor goes down with it. He enters the office and there sits Lex alone at a table near the window. A kettle and two cups are on the table as well, shining in the light of the moon.
“Ah, right on time. Please, take a seat. And take off your helmet. Get comfortable.”
Evil Star does exactly that and places his helmet next to him on the table. He keeps staring at Luthor while Luthor in turn keeps looking at the moon. Evil Star’s eyes turn red again and he slams his fist on the table.
Evil Star: “Well? Are we getting to it?”
Lex looks away from the moon and looks at Evil Star. He’s not afraid of red eyes. He’s seen them often enough.
“Talks like these shouldn’t be rushed. We should take our time to evaluate your potential position on this team. Cup of tea?”
It sounds more like a command than a question. Evil Star looks at the kettle and back at Lex, giving him a single nod. Lex pours some tea into the cups on the table and raises his.
“To new opportunities.”
Evil Star takes his cup and meets Lex’s.
“To the Legion.”
Evil Star takes a sip of the tea and puts the cup down.
Evil Star: “Now. Where shall we s- st-.”
At that point Evil Star starts to cough and he starts gasping for air. His eyes are tearing up as his eyes turn red. Not from any kind of energy, but from the small veins popping as he’s suffocating. He manages to speak a single word.
Evil Star: “H- H- How?”
As Evil Star collapses to the ground, Lex stands up and walks over to him. He sees Evil Star looking at him with wide eyes, still gasping for air.
“You see, Evil Star. You were never intended on joining my Legion of Doom. You just wouldn’t fit in. Now of course, I know what you can do and all, and I’d like to keep this planet whole if you don’t mind. I knew that if you were rejected you would seek revenge. What better revenge for a planet killer than to destroy the planet? I don’t think so.”
Lex kneels down next to Evil Star as foam is coming out of his mouth.
“I heard you were indestructible. Guess what I heard was wrong. A good friend of mine told me that you had one weakness. Something called the Starheart. Sinestro was really kind in giving me that information.”
Evil Star’s eyes widen further upon hearing that name.
“Then I had Black Manta, a master scavenger, find a piece of the Starheart. Believe me, it wasn’t an easy find. You know how much I had to pay the man? Absurd! With that piece of the Starheart, Doctor Pamela Isley, a genius when it comes to poisons and toxins, and myself managed to turn it into a poison, which I casually slipped into your cup right before your arrival.”
Lex keeps watching as Evil Star’s gasps for breath go slower and slower.
“You are able to destroy entire planets, but you’re not even able to handle a cup of tea. Now that’s not someone who I need on my Legion. Consider your application denied, Evil Star.”
And with that Evil Star draws his last breath. Lex stands up leaving the lifeless body next to the table. He exits his office where Mercy Graves and Calculator are waiting for him. Lex motions for Mercy to go inside and clean the mess up while he and Calculator walk down the hall.
Kuttler: “How did it go?”
“All according to plan. Make sure to give Ivy a potted plant as a thank you gift.”
Kuttler: “I’ll keep it in mind. So what’s our next objective.”
Lex smirks.
“Time to go to war.”
THE END
STS-126 Pilot Eric Boe holds a Contingency Water Container (CWC) on the Middeck (MDDK) of the orbiter Endeavour. Image was taken during Expedition 18 / STS-126 joint operations.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: s126e007957
Date: November 17, 2008
USS Midway with HMS Ardent's Lynx helicopter flying past in the Gulf of Oman in February 1981. On her flight-deck can be seen a number of F-4 Phantoms, A-6 Intruders and A-7 Corsairs.
USS Midway (CVB/CVA/CV-41) was an aircraft carrier of the US Navy, the lead ship of her class, and the first to be commissioned after the end of WWII. Active in Operation Desert Storm, she is now a museum ship in San Diego, CA. She is the only remaining aircraft carrier of the WWII era that is not an Essex-class ship. Midway was laid down 27 October 1943 by Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, VA. Her revolutionary hull design was based on what would have been the Montana-class battleships and gave her superior maneuverability over all previous carriers.
On 17 August 1980, Midway relieved Constellation to begin another Indian Ocean deployment and to complement the Dwight D Eisenhower (CVN-69) task group still on contingency duty in the Arabian Sea. Midway spent a total of 118 days in the Indian Ocean during 1980/81. On 25 March 1986, the final carrier launching of a Fleet F-4S Phantom II took place off Midway during flight operations in the East China Sea.
Midway was decommissioned at NAS North Island on 11 April 1992 in a ceremony in which the main speaker was Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney. On 30 September 2003, Midway moved from the Navy Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, WA en route to San Diego, CA for use as a museum and memorial. She was opened to the public on 7 June 2004. In its first year of operation, the museum doubled attendance projections by welcoming 879,281 guests aboard. Visitors may tour the ship's flight deck, hangar bay, mess hall, bridge, primary flight control area, enlisted and junior officer quarters, sickbay, and portions of the engine rooms. Additionally, several restored aircraft are on display in the hangar and on the flight deck. Self-guided audio tours are provided with admission. Events and meetings are held on board as well. Five to six evening events are held aboard Midway every week. Midway now books events three years in advance.
A U.S. Navy landing craft, air cushion approaches the beach during Talisman Saber 2013 in Shoalwater Bay, Australia, July 20, 2013. Talisman Saber is a combined biennial exercise between the U.S. and Australian militaries designed to enhance both nations’ ability to respond to regional contingencies. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher Lindahl, U.S. Navy/Released)
pro Israel contingency
separated
20 feet from the
pro Palestine
contingency
in
ManHatTan
Photography’s new conscience
Another portrait of Adrienne O'Leary from the Janis Claxton Dance Company performing 'Chaos and Contingency' in the Grand Gallery of National Museum of Scotland on Saturday.
This event was part of the Edinburgh Science Festival.
You can find out more about this year's science festival here:
You can find out more about Janis Claxton's Dance Company, here:
You can see more shots from this event at these links:
My thanks are due to Frances Sutton from Edinburgh Science Festival, Esme Haigh from National Museum of Scotland and Janis Claxton.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Gabriel Materas, 144th Fighter Wing crew chief from Fresno Air National Guard Base, California, fuels a United Kingdom Royal Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130J "Super Hercules" during Red Flag-Alaska 18-3 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Aug. 13, 2018. In RF-A 18-3 U.S. Army and Navy aviators in addition to Air Force Airmen are expected to fly, maintain and support more than 100 aircraft from more than a dozen units during this iteration of the exercise.
SCORE San Felipe 250 [Baja, Mexico]
Contingency Row - Downtown on the Malecon
FRIDAY, February 26, 2016
Two Lockheed Martin F-35B "Lightning II's" with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 “Wake Island Avengers,” 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, taxi the runway after landing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., July 5. A total of 10 aircraft and more than 250 Marines with VMFA-211 will participate in Red Flag 17-3, a realistic combat training exercise hosted by the U.S. Air Force to assess the squadron’s ability to deploy and support contingency operations using the F-35B. Red Flag 17-3 begins July 10 and ends July 28.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lockheed Martin F-35 "Lightning II" is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft, designed for ground-attack and air-superiority missions. It is built by Lockheed Martin and many subcontractors, including Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, and BAE Systems.
The F-35 has three main models: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A (CTOL), the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B (STOVL), and the catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery, carrier-based F-35C (CATOBAR). The F-35 descends from the Lockheed Martin X-35, the design that was awarded the "Joint Strike Fighter" (JSF) program over the competing Boeing X-32. The official Lightning II name has proven deeply unpopular and USAF pilots have nicknamed it Panther, instead.
The United States principally funds F-35 development, with additional funding from other NATO members and close U.S. allies, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and formerly Turkey. These funders generally receive subcontracts to manufacture components for the aircraft; for example, Turkey was the sole supplier of several F-35 parts until its removal from the program in July 2019. Several other countries have ordered, or are considering ordering, the aircraft.
As the largest and most expensive military program ever, the F-35 became the subject of much scrutiny and criticism in the U.S. and in other countries. In 2013 and 2014, critics argued that the plane was "plagued with design flaws", with many blaming the procurement process in which Lockheed was allowed "to design, test, and produce the F-35 all at the same time," instead of identifying and fixing "defects before firing up its production line". By 2014, the program was "$163 billion over budget [and] seven years behind schedule". Critics also contend that the program's high sunk costs and political momentum make it "too big to kill".
The F-35 first flew on 15 December 2006. In July 2015, the United States Marines declared its first squadron of F-35B fighters ready for deployment. However, the DOD-based durability testing indicated the service life of early-production F-35B aircraft is well under the expected 8,000 flight hours, and may be as low as 2,100 flight hours. Lot 9 and later aircraft include design changes but service life testing has yet to occur. The U.S. Air Force declared its first squadron of F-35As ready for deployment in August 2016. The U.S. Navy declared its first F-35Cs ready in February 2019. In 2018, the F-35 made its combat debut with the Israeli Air Force.
The U.S. stated plan is to buy 2,663 F-35s, which will provide the bulk of the crewed tactical airpower of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps in coming decades. Deliveries of the F-35 for the U.S. military are scheduled until 2037 with a projected service life up to 2070.
Development
F-35 development started in 1992 with the origins of the "Joint Strike Fighter" (JSF) program and was to culminate in full production by 2018. The X-35 first flew on 24 October 2000 and the F-35A on 15 December 2006.
The F-35 was developed to replace most US fighter jets with the variants of a single design that would be common to all branches of the military. It was developed in co-operation with a number of foreign partners, and, unlike the F-22 "Raptor", intended to be available for export. Three variants were designed: the F-35A (CTOL), the F-35B (STOVL), and the F-35C (CATOBAR). Despite being intended to share most of their parts to reduce costs and improve maintenance logistics, by 2017, the effective commonality was only 20%. The program received considerable criticism for cost overruns during development and for the total projected cost of the program over the lifetime of the jets.
By 2017, the program was expected to cost $406.5 billion over its lifetime (i.e. until 2070) for acquisition of the jets, and an additional $1.1 trillion for operations and maintenance. A number of design deficiencies were alleged, such as: carrying a small internal payload; performance inferior to the aircraft being replaced, particularly the F-16; lack of safety in relying on a single engine; and flaws such as the vulnerability of the fuel tank to fire and the propensity for transonic roll-off (wing drop). The possible obsolescence of stealth technology was also criticized.
Design
Overview
Although several experimental designs have been developed since the 1960s, such as the unsuccessful Rockwell XFV-12, the F-35B is to be the first operational supersonic STOVL stealth fighter. The single-engine F-35 resembles the larger twin-engined Lockheed Martin F-22 "Raptor", drawing design elements from it. The exhaust duct design was inspired by the General Dynamics Model 200, proposed for a 1972 supersonic VTOL fighter requirement for the Sea Control Ship.
Lockheed Martin has suggested that the F-35 could replace the USAF's F-15C/D fighters in the air-superiority role and the F-15E "Strike Eagle" in the ground-attack role. It has also stated the F-35 is intended to have close- and long-range air-to-air capability second only to that of the F-22 "Raptor", and that the F-35 has an advantage over the F-22 in basing flexibility and possesses "advanced sensors and information fusion".
Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on 25 March 2009, acquisition deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force, Lt. Gen. Mark D. "Shack" Shackelford, stated that the F-35 is designed to be America's "premier surface-to-air missile killer, and is uniquely equipped for this mission with cutting-edge processing power, synthetic aperture radar integration techniques, and advanced target recognition".
Improvements
Ostensible improvements over past-generation fighter aircraft include:
Durable, low-maintenance stealth technology, using structural fiber mat instead of the high-maintenance coatings of legacy stealth platforms.
Integrated avionics and sensor fusion that combine information from off- and on-board sensors to increase the pilot's situational awareness and improve target identification and weapon delivery, and to relay information quickly to other command and control (C2) nodes.
High-speed data networking including IEEE 1394b and Fibre Channel (Fibre Channel is also used on Boeing's "Super Hornet".
The Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment, Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), and Computerized maintenance management system to help ensure the aircraft can remain operational with minimal maintenance manpower The Pentagon has moved to open up the competitive bidding by other companies. This was after Lockheed Martin stated that instead of costing 20% less than the F-16 per flight hour, the F-35 would actually cost 12% more. Though the ALGS is intended to reduce maintenance costs, the company disagrees with including the cost of this system in the aircraft ownership calculations. The USMC has implemented a workaround for a cyber vulnerability in the system. The ALIS system currently requires a shipping-container load of servers to run, but Lockheed is working on a more portable version to support the Marines' expeditionary operations.
Electro-hydrostatic actuators run by a power-by-wire flight-control system.
A modern and updated flight simulator, which may be used for a greater fraction of pilot training to reduce the costly flight hours of the actual aircraft.
Lightweight, powerful lithium-ion batteries to provide power to run the control surfaces in an emergency.
Structural composites in the F-35 are 35% of the airframe weight (up from 25% in the F-22). The majority of these are bismaleimide and composite epoxy materials. The F-35 will be the first mass-produced aircraft to include structural nanocomposites, namely carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy. Experience of the F-22's problems with corrosion led to the F-35 using a gap filler that causes less galvanic corrosion to the airframe's skin, designed with fewer gaps requiring filler and implementing better drainage. The relatively short 35-foot wingspan of the A and B variants is set by the F-35B's requirement to fit inside the Navy's current amphibious assault ship parking area and elevators; the F-35C's longer wing is considered to be more fuel efficient.
Costs
A U.S. Navy study found that the F-35 will cost 30 to 40% more to maintain than current jet fighters, not accounting for inflation over the F-35's operational lifetime. A Pentagon study concluded a $1 trillion maintenance cost for the entire fleet over its lifespan, not accounting for inflation. The F-35 program office found that as of January 2014, costs for the F-35 fleet over a 53-year lifecycle was $857 billion. Costs for the fighter have been dropping and accounted for the 22 percent life cycle drop since 2010. Lockheed stated that by 2019, pricing for the fifth-generation aircraft will be less than fourth-generation fighters. An F-35A in 2019 is expected to cost $85 million per unit complete with engines and full mission systems, inflation adjusted from $75 million in December 2013.
A C-130 Hercules takes off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam for a static jump training mission, Aug. 21, 2013. The day of training, the jumpers receive standardized airborne training, starting with a briefing from the jumpmasters. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Marianique Santos)
A C-130 Hercules with the 36th Airlift Squadron flies over Yokota Air Base, Japan, during a routine sortie Jan. 10, 2014. After completing missions in Bangladesh, Philippines and Guam, the 36th AS regularly conducts training missions to remain proficient in the necessary skills to support any contingency. (U.S. Air Force photo by Osakabe Yasuo/Released)
PHILIPPINE SEA (March 8, 2018) Ensign Nancy Smith, from Asheville, North Carolina, uses the bridge-to-bridge radio aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) to speak with a marine patrol craft during Multisail 18. Multisail is a bilateral training exercise improving interoperability between the U.S. and Japanese forces. This exercise benefits from realistic, shared training enhancing our ability to work together to confront any contingency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Benjamin Dobbs/Released)
PHILIPPINE SEA (Oct. 26, 2020) - U.S. Navy ships assigned to the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group join ships of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Escort Flotilla 1, Escort Flotilla 4, and the Royal Canadian Navy in formation while aircraft from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, JMSDF and Japan Air Self-Defense Force fly overhead during Keen Sword 21. Keen Sword is an example of the strength of U.S.-Japan Alliance, the foundation of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region for almost 60 years. The relationships built and maintained during these events are critical to our shared capability to respond to contingencies at a moment’s notice. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Askia Collins) 201026-N-YQ181-1341
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www.instagram.com/indopacom | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/ **
One of 14 F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 18th Agressor Squadron takes off from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, shortly after sunrise Jan. 17, 2015, in transit to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam to participate in the CENTURY ALOHA and COPE NORTH exercises. More than 150 maintainers will keep the Agressors in the air during the exercises, which are meant to prepare U.S. Airmen, Sailors and Marines along with coalition partners in the Pacific theater of operations for contingency operations if the need arises. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Karen J. Tomasik/Released)
A British Warrior Armoured Infantry Fighting vehicle patrolling down the live firing range in Grafenwöhr, Germany.
Exercise BAVARIAN CHARGER was the first of three large contingency operation exercises being undertaken by 20th Armoured Brigade between May – October 2013. Contingency Operations training is known as Hybrid Foundation Training or HFT.
The aim of this exercise was to train the 5 Rifles, The Queens Dragoon Guards (QDG) Battle Groups and 1 Logistic Support Regiment in combined arms manoeuvre.
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© Crown Copyright 2013
Photographer: Cpl Wes Calder RLC
Image 45155715.jpg from www.defenceimages.mod.uk
This image is available for high resolution download at www.defenceimagery.mod.uk subject to the terms and conditions of the Open Government License at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/. Search for image number 45155715.jpg
For latest news visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
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soft window light of early spring. berlin.
many say this place makes the best coffee in town. they focus on their coffee so much that there is hardly any place to sit. put ten people in it and it is already overcrowded.
leica m4
leitz wetzlar summaron 35mm f3.5
kodak tri-x 400 in ilford ilfotec lc29 1+19
Airmen from the 321st Contingency Response Squadron and Soldiers from the 689th Rapid Port Opening Element offload cargo from a Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster III on the flightline at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Miss., during exercise Turbo Distribution Oct. 29, 2015. The U.S. Transportation Command exercise tested the Joint Task Force Port-Opening's ability to deliver and distribute cargo during humanitarian relief operations. The 321st CRS is from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and the 689th RPOE is from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marianique Santos)
The U.S. Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) trained in waterborne mobility operations with Landing Craft Air Cushions, assigned to U.S. Navy Assault Craft Unit Four, to rehearse the transportation of an Initial Response Force (IRF), at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., April 20, 2016. When directed, CBIRF forward-deploys with minimal warning to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive (CBRNE) threat to assist local, state, or federal agencies and the geographic combatant commanders in the conduct of CBRNE response or consequence management operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Santiago G. Colon Jr.) www.dvidshub.net
PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 26, 2018) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86), participates in a multinational passing exercise with amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20), amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force amphibious transport dock ship JS Osumi (LST 4001). Shoup, part of the Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready response force for any type of contingency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class William Collins III)
Aerial porters from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group load 8 tons of humanitarian aid and military supplies onto a C-130 at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 4, 2014. The aircraft and crew, from Dyess Air Force Base Texas, are deployed to Senegal as part of the 787th Air Expeditionary Squadron and will fly the cargo into Monrovia, Liberia, in support of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to contain the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)
Timer, 3 seconds, desk light diffused through a tissue. The arm on the table was less pose than pause. Compositionally, it’s about containment, how much space a face can fill before it stops feeling like one.
SOUTH CHINA SEA (Aug. 2, 2017) Aviation Support Equipment Technician 3rd Class Angus Moss, a native of Columbus, Indiana, assigned to the Air department aboard the amphibious tranport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22), directs an MV-22B Osprey, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 161 (reinforced), on the ship's flight deck. San Diego, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the Indo-Asia Pacific region to strengthen partnerships and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Justin A. Schoenberger/Released)
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq (Aug. 25, 2010) Seaman Shane Parker, assigned to Riverine Squadron (RIVRON) 1, mounts a MK-44 medium caliber automatic cannon on a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Erik Reed/Released)
A U.S. Air Force Airman part of the Joint Task Force-Port Opening team of the 621st Contingency Response Wing assigned to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., helps to augment airport security along with local security personnel during Operation United Assistance, Oct. 16. The JTF-PO is supporting a comprehensive U.S. government effort led by the U.S Agency for International Development, to support the World Health Organization and other international partners to help the governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone respond to and contain the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez/Released)
"Armstrong is to scoop up sample of moon soil with a tool resembling a butterfly net. Sample is to be stowed in space suit pocket should he have to leave hurriedly."
Note the absence of plume deflectors, presence of a scimitar antenna and rather narrow MESA door. Also, the MESA appears to depict the television camera, with its handle sticking up, a hand tool extension handle(?), and an open ALSRC ready to be filled up. Nice attention to detail is the depiction of the snap-hook of Armstrong’s waist tether. Finally...for the most part contrary to what transpired...Aldrin photographing Armstrong, from inside the LM at that. A couple of Hasselblad shots certainly would’ve been nice…possibly doubling the number of photographs of Armstrong on the moon. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Although not signed, nor have I ever seen it before, I’m certain a Russell Arasmith work, which appears to have been part of a mission press kit, information packet, presentation, etc.
The following (and others) confirm the identification:
www.mutualart.com/Artwork/2-works--Space-Illustrations/00...
Credit: MutualArt website
www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/history/russ-arasmith-apoll...
Pride Month and the Run Off from a large Summer Thunder Storm has made for a picturesque scene at the Current River Dam. The Led Lights are on from 6:00pm to 12:00am and during pride month are multi changing colours.
The Repairs are finally done By Concrete Walls the lead contractor and PDR Contracting . Original contract was The tender amount awarded to construction firm Concrete Walls, at a cost of just over $7.2 million, inclusive of HST and a $900,000 contingency fund. There was cost increases to $8.5 million by the end of the project. Thunder Bay Testing and Engineering Ltd was a part of the design Subcontracts and produced the design for the lighting of the walkway & and design outside the Box of the accent lighting which is drawing a lot of " That's What I'm Talking ABout " .
I have a connection to the beginning and end as well. Back in the early 1960's I was working for Boyles Bros Diamond Drilling and I were supposed to work on the original test holes in the dam but got called to a job on the Kam River. And A young lady Stephanie Pesheau (just received her accreditation As an ALA lighting consultant.. for TBT engineering. ) worked on the project team is the daughter of one of my former Clients and Daughter in Law of an Old Friend and Colleague. Well done you guys !
In 1901-1902, a dam was constructed on the Current River, as a source of electric power. This dam resulted in the creation of the Boulevard Lake reservoir.
In 1893, the town of Port Arthur purchased the first acres of land from Mr. James Lyon for $395. Port Arthur continued to acquire land from Lyon: 77.7 acres in 1901 for $521.26, 23.77 acres in 1911 for $2380, and 23 acres in 1914 for $51,000.
Mr. Lyon attached a few conditions to the sale on June 23, 1914:
That a public roadway be constructed and that it surrounds the reservoir, and that it is called "Lyon Boulevard"
That the City is free to sell not more than one third of the land surrounding Lyon Boulevard
That the City name the parkland "Lyon Park" and that it would be maintained as a public park
By July 1914, the gravel road, Lyon Boulevard, was complete. On July 15, 1914, 61 cars ceremoniously paraded from the Whalen building around Lyon Boulevard to Current River Park.
1911, the City of Port Arthur constructed the Black Bay Bridge. It was the first single span concrete bridge in Canada.
In 1936, the "Current River Reservoir" was renamed "Boulevard Lake." Also this year, Council decreed that pulpwood could no longer be kept in Boulevard Lake.
A boathouse and dressing rooms were constructed in 1936.
1936 was also the first year that swimmers at Boulevard Lake Park were protected by a lifeguard.
In 1937, a bathing beach opened.
In 1939, a boat rental business opened, renting out 3 buckhorn rowing boats, 3 Lake Queen Canoes, and 3 punts.
The picnic locations at Boulevard Lake Park were named in 1962. They became:
Lakeview Park,
Birch Point Park,
Evergreen Park,
River Bend Park,
Current River Park.
In 1963, Black Bay Bridge was widened.
In 1975, a new Multi-Service Building was constructed. This building replaced one which was severely burned in a fire in 1967.
Charles Henry Ritchie bequeathed 4.24 acres of land in 1979. The four parcels of land stretched from the Black Bay Bridge to the edge of the Lyon property.
The 1981 Jeux Canada Games held waterskiing competitions at Boulevard Lake.
As part of the Millenium Project, Birch Point Park was bestowed park status in 2000. It is home to walking paths, a number of public art installations, and Thunder Bay's first disk golf course
The panel discusses contingency plans in the event of energy systems breakdowns.
For more information, including audio and video files, go to csis.org/event/preparing-unthinkable-joint-crisis-leaders...
A Marine CH-53E Super Stallion from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 conducts slingload operations with Air Force airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., May 10. Both units were preparing for a Marine airpower demonstration at the 2012 JB MDL Open House and & Air Show, scheduled for May 12 and 13.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Edward Gyokeres)
Finally, the tale can be told. After months of intense therapy, at last I have recovered my wits enough to recount a terrifying ordeal while lost in the maze-like corridors of Banshee Canyon in the Hole-in-the-Wall region of Mojave National Preserve.
I wandered off on my own while exploring this fascinating rhyolite volcanic rock formation with my son, Nash, and was soon lost and disoriented. Every route that I took led to a dead end as I began my hair-raising nightmare. Eerie sounds echoed from all directions. Sinister faces began to appear on the rock faces and shadowy apparitions scampered around the boulders. The volume began to increase and my anxiety level peaked.
Although I was unnerved by this harrowing trauma, I did have enough faculties left to take one last photo before I broke into a full sprint. As luck had it, I chose the correct branch of the canyon maze and darted away from danger. My advise to those intending to visit Banshee Canyon: Be prepared for for any contingency!
This photo was taken by a Asahi Pentax 6 X 7 medium format film camera and a SMC PENTAX 67 1:4 45mm lens with a Zenza Bronica 82mm L-1A filter using Kodak Portra 160 film, the negative scanned by an Epson Perfection V600 and digitally rendered with Photoshop.
Already way behind schedule, plagued by cost overruns and unforeseen contingencies, completion is further delayed now that a much needed inspection has been rescheduled.
On a positive note, so far the building inspectors have been relatively pleased, and the Fire Marshal has just arrived.
Who knew there was so much drama in refurbishment?
Driftwood Club Office Plaza & Condominium Complex
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Olympus M.14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II R
For more info about the dioramas, check out the FAQ: 1stPix FAQ
Two Lockheed Martin F-35B "Lightning II's" with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 “Wake Island Avengers,” 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, taxi the runway after landing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., July 5. A total of 10 aircraft and more than 250 Marines with VMFA-211 will participate in Red Flag 17-3, a realistic combat training exercise hosted by the U.S. Air Force to assess the squadron’s ability to deploy and support contingency operations using the F-35B. Red Flag 17-3 begins July 10 and ends July 28.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lockheed Martin F-35 "Lightning II" is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft, designed for ground-attack and air-superiority missions. It is built by Lockheed Martin and many subcontractors, including Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, and BAE Systems.
The F-35 has three main models: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A (CTOL), the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B (STOVL), and the catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery, carrier-based F-35C (CATOBAR). The F-35 descends from the Lockheed Martin X-35, the design that was awarded the "Joint Strike Fighter" (JSF) program over the competing Boeing X-32. The official Lightning II name has proven deeply unpopular and USAF pilots have nicknamed it Panther, instead.
The United States principally funds F-35 development, with additional funding from other NATO members and close U.S. allies, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and formerly Turkey. These funders generally receive subcontracts to manufacture components for the aircraft; for example, Turkey was the sole supplier of several F-35 parts until its removal from the program in July 2019. Several other countries have ordered, or are considering ordering, the aircraft.
As the largest and most expensive military program ever, the F-35 became the subject of much scrutiny and criticism in the U.S. and in other countries. In 2013 and 2014, critics argued that the plane was "plagued with design flaws", with many blaming the procurement process in which Lockheed was allowed "to design, test, and produce the F-35 all at the same time," instead of identifying and fixing "defects before firing up its production line". By 2014, the program was "$163 billion over budget [and] seven years behind schedule". Critics also contend that the program's high sunk costs and political momentum make it "too big to kill".
The F-35 first flew on 15 December 2006. In July 2015, the United States Marines declared its first squadron of F-35B fighters ready for deployment. However, the DOD-based durability testing indicated the service life of early-production F-35B aircraft is well under the expected 8,000 flight hours, and may be as low as 2,100 flight hours. Lot 9 and later aircraft include design changes but service life testing has yet to occur. The U.S. Air Force declared its first squadron of F-35As ready for deployment in August 2016. The U.S. Navy declared its first F-35Cs ready in February 2019. In 2018, the F-35 made its combat debut with the Israeli Air Force.
The U.S. stated plan is to buy 2,663 F-35s, which will provide the bulk of the crewed tactical airpower of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps in coming decades. Deliveries of the F-35 for the U.S. military are scheduled until 2037 with a projected service life up to 2070.
Development
F-35 development started in 1992 with the origins of the "Joint Strike Fighter" (JSF) program and was to culminate in full production by 2018. The X-35 first flew on 24 October 2000 and the F-35A on 15 December 2006.
The F-35 was developed to replace most US fighter jets with the variants of a single design that would be common to all branches of the military. It was developed in co-operation with a number of foreign partners, and, unlike the F-22 "Raptor", intended to be available for export. Three variants were designed: the F-35A (CTOL), the F-35B (STOVL), and the F-35C (CATOBAR). Despite being intended to share most of their parts to reduce costs and improve maintenance logistics, by 2017, the effective commonality was only 20%. The program received considerable criticism for cost overruns during development and for the total projected cost of the program over the lifetime of the jets.
By 2017, the program was expected to cost $406.5 billion over its lifetime (i.e. until 2070) for acquisition of the jets, and an additional $1.1 trillion for operations and maintenance. A number of design deficiencies were alleged, such as: carrying a small internal payload; performance inferior to the aircraft being replaced, particularly the F-16; lack of safety in relying on a single engine; and flaws such as the vulnerability of the fuel tank to fire and the propensity for transonic roll-off (wing drop). The possible obsolescence of stealth technology was also criticized.
Design
Overview
Although several experimental designs have been developed since the 1960s, such as the unsuccessful Rockwell XFV-12, the F-35B is to be the first operational supersonic STOVL stealth fighter. The single-engine F-35 resembles the larger twin-engined Lockheed Martin F-22 "Raptor", drawing design elements from it. The exhaust duct design was inspired by the General Dynamics Model 200, proposed for a 1972 supersonic VTOL fighter requirement for the Sea Control Ship.
Lockheed Martin has suggested that the F-35 could replace the USAF's F-15C/D fighters in the air-superiority role and the F-15E "Strike Eagle" in the ground-attack role. It has also stated the F-35 is intended to have close- and long-range air-to-air capability second only to that of the F-22 "Raptor", and that the F-35 has an advantage over the F-22 in basing flexibility and possesses "advanced sensors and information fusion".
Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on 25 March 2009, acquisition deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force, Lt. Gen. Mark D. "Shack" Shackelford, stated that the F-35 is designed to be America's "premier surface-to-air missile killer, and is uniquely equipped for this mission with cutting-edge processing power, synthetic aperture radar integration techniques, and advanced target recognition".
Improvements
Ostensible improvements over past-generation fighter aircraft include:
Durable, low-maintenance stealth technology, using structural fiber mat instead of the high-maintenance coatings of legacy stealth platforms.
Integrated avionics and sensor fusion that combine information from off- and on-board sensors to increase the pilot's situational awareness and improve target identification and weapon delivery, and to relay information quickly to other command and control (C2) nodes.
High-speed data networking including IEEE 1394b and Fibre Channel (Fibre Channel is also used on Boeing's "Super Hornet".
The Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment, Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), and Computerized maintenance management system to help ensure the aircraft can remain operational with minimal maintenance manpower The Pentagon has moved to open up the competitive bidding by other companies. This was after Lockheed Martin stated that instead of costing 20% less than the F-16 per flight hour, the F-35 would actually cost 12% more. Though the ALGS is intended to reduce maintenance costs, the company disagrees with including the cost of this system in the aircraft ownership calculations. The USMC has implemented a workaround for a cyber vulnerability in the system. The ALIS system currently requires a shipping-container load of servers to run, but Lockheed is working on a more portable version to support the Marines' expeditionary operations.
Electro-hydrostatic actuators run by a power-by-wire flight-control system.
A modern and updated flight simulator, which may be used for a greater fraction of pilot training to reduce the costly flight hours of the actual aircraft.
Lightweight, powerful lithium-ion batteries to provide power to run the control surfaces in an emergency.
Structural composites in the F-35 are 35% of the airframe weight (up from 25% in the F-22). The majority of these are bismaleimide and composite epoxy materials. The F-35 will be the first mass-produced aircraft to include structural nanocomposites, namely carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy. Experience of the F-22's problems with corrosion led to the F-35 using a gap filler that causes less galvanic corrosion to the airframe's skin, designed with fewer gaps requiring filler and implementing better drainage. The relatively short 35-foot wingspan of the A and B variants is set by the F-35B's requirement to fit inside the Navy's current amphibious assault ship parking area and elevators; the F-35C's longer wing is considered to be more fuel efficient.
Costs
A U.S. Navy study found that the F-35 will cost 30 to 40% more to maintain than current jet fighters, not accounting for inflation over the F-35's operational lifetime. A Pentagon study concluded a $1 trillion maintenance cost for the entire fleet over its lifespan, not accounting for inflation. The F-35 program office found that as of January 2014, costs for the F-35 fleet over a 53-year lifecycle was $857 billion. Costs for the fighter have been dropping and accounted for the 22 percent life cycle drop since 2010. Lockheed stated that by 2019, pricing for the fifth-generation aircraft will be less than fourth-generation fighters. An F-35A in 2019 is expected to cost $85 million per unit complete with engines and full mission systems, inflation adjusted from $75 million in December 2013.
Two Lockheed Martin F-35B "Lightning II's" with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 “Wake Island Avengers,” 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, taxi the runway after landing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., July 5. A total of 10 aircraft and more than 250 Marines with VMFA-211 will participate in Red Flag 17-3, a realistic combat training exercise hosted by the U.S. Air Force to assess the squadron’s ability to deploy and support contingency operations using the F-35B. Red Flag 17-3 begins July 10 and ends July 28.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lockheed Martin F-35 "Lightning II" is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft, designed for ground-attack and air-superiority missions. It is built by Lockheed Martin and many subcontractors, including Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, and BAE Systems.
The F-35 has three main models: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A (CTOL), the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B (STOVL), and the catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery, carrier-based F-35C (CATOBAR). The F-35 descends from the Lockheed Martin X-35, the design that was awarded the "Joint Strike Fighter" (JSF) program over the competing Boeing X-32. The official Lightning II name has proven deeply unpopular and USAF pilots have nicknamed it Panther, instead.
The United States principally funds F-35 development, with additional funding from other NATO members and close U.S. allies, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and formerly Turkey. These funders generally receive subcontracts to manufacture components for the aircraft; for example, Turkey was the sole supplier of several F-35 parts until its removal from the program in July 2019. Several other countries have ordered, or are considering ordering, the aircraft.
As the largest and most expensive military program ever, the F-35 became the subject of much scrutiny and criticism in the U.S. and in other countries. In 2013 and 2014, critics argued that the plane was "plagued with design flaws", with many blaming the procurement process in which Lockheed was allowed "to design, test, and produce the F-35 all at the same time," instead of identifying and fixing "defects before firing up its production line". By 2014, the program was "$163 billion over budget [and] seven years behind schedule". Critics also contend that the program's high sunk costs and political momentum make it "too big to kill".
The F-35 first flew on 15 December 2006. In July 2015, the United States Marines declared its first squadron of F-35B fighters ready for deployment. However, the DOD-based durability testing indicated the service life of early-production F-35B aircraft is well under the expected 8,000 flight hours, and may be as low as 2,100 flight hours. Lot 9 and later aircraft include design changes but service life testing has yet to occur. The U.S. Air Force declared its first squadron of F-35As ready for deployment in August 2016. The U.S. Navy declared its first F-35Cs ready in February 2019. In 2018, the F-35 made its combat debut with the Israeli Air Force.
The U.S. stated plan is to buy 2,663 F-35s, which will provide the bulk of the crewed tactical airpower of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps in coming decades. Deliveries of the F-35 for the U.S. military are scheduled until 2037 with a projected service life up to 2070.
Development
F-35 development started in 1992 with the origins of the "Joint Strike Fighter" (JSF) program and was to culminate in full production by 2018. The X-35 first flew on 24 October 2000 and the F-35A on 15 December 2006.
The F-35 was developed to replace most US fighter jets with the variants of a single design that would be common to all branches of the military. It was developed in co-operation with a number of foreign partners, and, unlike the F-22 "Raptor", intended to be available for export. Three variants were designed: the F-35A (CTOL), the F-35B (STOVL), and the F-35C (CATOBAR). Despite being intended to share most of their parts to reduce costs and improve maintenance logistics, by 2017, the effective commonality was only 20%. The program received considerable criticism for cost overruns during development and for the total projected cost of the program over the lifetime of the jets.
By 2017, the program was expected to cost $406.5 billion over its lifetime (i.e. until 2070) for acquisition of the jets, and an additional $1.1 trillion for operations and maintenance. A number of design deficiencies were alleged, such as: carrying a small internal payload; performance inferior to the aircraft being replaced, particularly the F-16; lack of safety in relying on a single engine; and flaws such as the vulnerability of the fuel tank to fire and the propensity for transonic roll-off (wing drop). The possible obsolescence of stealth technology was also criticized.
Design
Overview
Although several experimental designs have been developed since the 1960s, such as the unsuccessful Rockwell XFV-12, the F-35B is to be the first operational supersonic STOVL stealth fighter. The single-engine F-35 resembles the larger twin-engined Lockheed Martin F-22 "Raptor", drawing design elements from it. The exhaust duct design was inspired by the General Dynamics Model 200, proposed for a 1972 supersonic VTOL fighter requirement for the Sea Control Ship.
Lockheed Martin has suggested that the F-35 could replace the USAF's F-15C/D fighters in the air-superiority role and the F-15E "Strike Eagle" in the ground-attack role. It has also stated the F-35 is intended to have close- and long-range air-to-air capability second only to that of the F-22 "Raptor", and that the F-35 has an advantage over the F-22 in basing flexibility and possesses "advanced sensors and information fusion".
Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on 25 March 2009, acquisition deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force, Lt. Gen. Mark D. "Shack" Shackelford, stated that the F-35 is designed to be America's "premier surface-to-air missile killer, and is uniquely equipped for this mission with cutting-edge processing power, synthetic aperture radar integration techniques, and advanced target recognition".
Improvements
Ostensible improvements over past-generation fighter aircraft include:
Durable, low-maintenance stealth technology, using structural fiber mat instead of the high-maintenance coatings of legacy stealth platforms.
Integrated avionics and sensor fusion that combine information from off- and on-board sensors to increase the pilot's situational awareness and improve target identification and weapon delivery, and to relay information quickly to other command and control (C2) nodes.
High-speed data networking including IEEE 1394b and Fibre Channel (Fibre Channel is also used on Boeing's "Super Hornet".
The Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment, Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), and Computerized maintenance management system to help ensure the aircraft can remain operational with minimal maintenance manpower The Pentagon has moved to open up the competitive bidding by other companies. This was after Lockheed Martin stated that instead of costing 20% less than the F-16 per flight hour, the F-35 would actually cost 12% more. Though the ALGS is intended to reduce maintenance costs, the company disagrees with including the cost of this system in the aircraft ownership calculations. The USMC has implemented a workaround for a cyber vulnerability in the system. The ALIS system currently requires a shipping-container load of servers to run, but Lockheed is working on a more portable version to support the Marines' expeditionary operations.
Electro-hydrostatic actuators run by a power-by-wire flight-control system.
A modern and updated flight simulator, which may be used for a greater fraction of pilot training to reduce the costly flight hours of the actual aircraft.
Lightweight, powerful lithium-ion batteries to provide power to run the control surfaces in an emergency.
Structural composites in the F-35 are 35% of the airframe weight (up from 25% in the F-22). The majority of these are bismaleimide and composite epoxy materials. The F-35 will be the first mass-produced aircraft to include structural nanocomposites, namely carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy. Experience of the F-22's problems with corrosion led to the F-35 using a gap filler that causes less galvanic corrosion to the airframe's skin, designed with fewer gaps requiring filler and implementing better drainage. The relatively short 35-foot wingspan of the A and B variants is set by the F-35B's requirement to fit inside the Navy's current amphibious assault ship parking area and elevators; the F-35C's longer wing is considered to be more fuel efficient.
Costs
A U.S. Navy study found that the F-35 will cost 30 to 40% more to maintain than current jet fighters, not accounting for inflation over the F-35's operational lifetime. A Pentagon study concluded a $1 trillion maintenance cost for the entire fleet over its lifespan, not accounting for inflation. The F-35 program office found that as of January 2014, costs for the F-35 fleet over a 53-year lifecycle was $857 billion. Costs for the fighter have been dropping and accounted for the 22 percent life cycle drop since 2010. Lockheed stated that by 2019, pricing for the fifth-generation aircraft will be less than fourth-generation fighters. An F-35A in 2019 is expected to cost $85 million per unit complete with engines and full mission systems, inflation adjusted from $75 million in December 2013.
PHILIPPINE SEA (Oct. 11, 2018) Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) suspend from an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to the "Island Knights" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 above the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) during a special patrol insertion/extraction (SPIE) exercise. Wasp, flagship of Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Molina)
The Atheist Bus Campaign, set out to convince you that a loving creator God does not exist, that you have no prospect of eternal life and that all you can look forward to is eternal oblivion.
Atheists have no evidence to back up that assertion. In fact logic, natural law and the basic principles of the scientific method rule out their naturalistic alternative to a creator as impossible.
They invent all sort of bizarre scenarios to replace a supernatural first cause (God), they even try to present their fantastical, naturalistic replacements for God as 'scientific'. Please don't be taken in by it.
Their naturalistic replacements for God are illogical, they all violate natural laws and the basic principles of science.
Atheism is rightly referred to as the no-hope philosophy.
Their ultimate goal and pinnacle of their short life is - eternal oblivion.
And, quite perversely, they want to convince you that is all you can look forward to.
Please don't be dragged down with them into that depressing pit of hopelessness.
The Good News is that they are entirely wrong, and furthermore, it is not just an opinion. It can be satisfactorily demonstrated by logic, natural law, and the basic principle of the scientific method ......
Read on .... and you will understand, why atheists can never replace God, however much they try.
Their Atheist Bus Campaign is deceitful because atheists have no logical or scientific grounds for claiming "There's Probably No God", in fact, the evidence of applied logic and natural law, is completely the contrary. The atheist claim that there's probably no God is just an unsubstantiated opinion based only on their own ideological beliefs.
You may wonder why they inserted the word 'probably'? Obviously, they knew that if they were challenged to present evidence for the truth of their advertisement and had to defend it in court, they would be unable to do so. Science and logic can be used to prove they have no alternative to a supernatural first cause, and they know it.
For atheists to propose that believing there is no God, is somehow a reason to stop worrying and the recipe for an enjoyable life, is perverse in the extreme.
For most sane people it would be the opposite - a road to depression, hopelessness, and a feeling that this short existence is worthless. It will all end in oblivion, and you might as well never have lived.
Thankfully, atheists are demonstrably wrong, there is every reason for hope - as we will show - a loving Creator definitely does exist. Your life is not a few short, stressful and worthless years leading to eternal oblivion. You are a unique, valuable, person, specially created out of supreme love, every human life is of infinite value right from the moment of conception. Humans really are special and not just intelligent apes, or a mere collection of atoms, as atheists would have you believe You can live forever in eternal bliss - that is the gift of life the loving Creator of the universe offers you, and it is all offered for free.
Please don't be fooled ... people who think for themselves (the REAL freethinkers), are able to see right through the atheist hype and propaganda. Ignore the relentless bombardment of atheist propaganda, such as the atheist bus campaign. Seek out and learn the real truth and the truth will set you free.
Please read on and you will understand ......
Because there is a law of cause and effect, the universe can't and won't create itself from nothing.
Consider this ....
A creator God (or supernatural first cause) has been made redundant and the final gap (pertaining to the so-called God of the gaps) has now been filled ... who says so?
Atheists, along with the secularist pundits in the popular media.
Why do they say that?
Because they believe that the greatest brain in atheism - Stephen Hawking, has finally discovered the secret of the origin of the universe and a naturalistic replacement for God.
The atheist replacement for God is summed up in a single sentence written by Hawking:
"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing"
That is it .... problem solved - apparently!
The secularists in the popular media loved it, as far as they were concerned the problem certainly was solved. Hawking had finally dealt the fatal blow to all religion, especially Christianity. No need to question it, if a revered scientist of his calibre, is so sure of how the universe came into being, it must be correct.
The new atheists loved it, they wasted no time in proclaiming the ultimate triumph of 'science' over religious mythology and superstition.
So just how credible is the atheist claim that God has been made redundant?
And just how 'scientific' is Hawking's replacement for God?
Shall we analyse it?
"Because there is a law of gravity ....
So,
1) If the law of gravity existed, how is that nothing?
AND -
2) Where did the law of gravity come from?
AND -
3) How can a law of gravity exist before that which gravity relates to ... i.e. matter?
"the universe can and will create itself from nothing"
4) How can something create itself, without pre-existing its own creation?
(A) could possibly create (B), but how could (A) create (A)? Of course it can't.
5) What about the 'nothing' that is not really nothing, as most people understand 'nothing', but a bizarre 'nothing' in which a law of gravity exists. A nothing which is actually a 'something' where a law of gravity is presumably some sort of eternally, existent entity?
AND -
6) Is Hawking implying that the self-creation of the universe is made possible by the pre-existence of the law of gravity?
Of course, natural laws are not creative agents, they simply describe basic properties and operation of material things. They can't create anything, or cause the creation of anything. Something which is a property of something, cannot create that which it is a property of.
So, even if we ignore the law of cause and effect which definitively rules out a natural, first cause of the universe, the atheist notion of the universe arising of its own volition from nothing is still impossible, and can be regarded as illogical and unscientific nonsense. Hawking's naturalistic replacement for God, presented in his single sentence, and so loved by the new, atheist cabal, is obviously just contradictory and confused nonsense.
The truth, which atheists don't want to hear, is that atheism is intellectually and scientifically indefensible. That is why they always duck out of explaining how the concept of an uncaused, inadequate, natural first cause is possible.
The best they ever come up with, is something like "we don't really know what laws existed at the start of the universe".
However, the atheist claim that - we don't really know... is completely spurious.
We certainly do know that the Law of Cause and Effect is universal, there is no way round it.
The only reason atheists don't want to accept it, is ideological.
And ... isn't it strange, that the only laws atheists dispute are precisely those that interfere with their beliefs. For example, atheists seem pretty sure that one law existed .... the law of gravity (even prior to that which gravity is a property of … matter).
Why are they so sure that the law of gravity existed?
Because their naturalistic substitute for God, summed up in the sentence by Stephen Hawking, apparently requires that the law of gravity existed before anything else …..
Here it is again ...
‘Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing’ Stephen Hawking.
So atheists DO KNOW for sure that the law of gravity existed, but they don’t really know what other laws existed at the start of the universe. They especially doubt that the Law of Cause and Effect existed.
AMAZING!
Well, how about this for a refutation of Hawking’s replacement for God, also summed up in a single sentence?
Because there is a Law of Cause and Effect, the universe can’t and won’t create itself from nothing!
That is something Stephen Hawking conveniently forgot.
Apparently, he accepts that the law of gravity existed, because he thinks it suits his argument, but he ignores the existence of other laws that positively destroy his argument.
So now you know the truth about the best substitute for God that atheists have ever come up with.
IMPRESSED? I think not!
Why is it ATHEISTS that try to dispute the universality of natural laws?
According to their claims, atheists are supposed to be the champions of science. Yet we find in practice that it is actually theists who end up defending natural laws and the scientific method against those atheists who try to refute any laws and scientific principles that interfere with their naturalistic beliefs.
Whatever happened to the alleged conflict between science and religion?
That is revealed as purely, atheist propaganda. There is obviously much more conflict between atheism and science.
Why is the law of cause and effect so important?
Because it tells us that all natural entities, events and processes are contingent.
They are all subject to preceding causes. It tells us that natural entities and events are not autonomous, they cannot operate independently of causes.
That is such an important principle, it is actually the basis of the scientific method. Science is about looking for adequate causes of ALL natural events. According to science, a natural event without a cause, is a scientific impossibility.
Once you suggest such a notion, you are abandoning science and you violate the basic principle of the scientific method.
What about the first cause of the universe and everything?
How does that fit in?
Well, the first cause was obviously a unique thing, not only unique, but radically different to all NATURAL entities and occurrences. The first cause HAD to be an autonomous entity, it HAD to be eternally self-existent, self-reliant, NON-CONTINGENT ... i.e. it was completely independent of causes and the limitations that causes impose.
The first cause, by virtue of being the very first, could not have had any preceding cause, and obviously didn't require any cause for its existence. When we talk about the first cause, we mean the very first cause, i.e. FIRST means FIRST, not second or third.
The first cause also had to be capable of creating everything that followed it. It is responsible for every subsequent cause and effect that is, or has ever been. That means that nothing, nor the sum total of everything that followed the first cause, can ever be greater, in any respect, than the first cause.
So the idea that the first cause could be a natural entity or event is just ludicrous.
We know that the first cause is radically different to any natural entity, it is NOT contingent and that is why it is called a SUPERNATURAL entity, the Supernatural, First Cause (or Creator God). All natural events and entities ARE contingent without exception, so the first cause simply CANNOT be a natural thing.
That is the verdict of science, logic and reason. Atheists dispute the verdict of science and insist that the first cause was a 'natural' event which was somehow able to defy natural laws that govern all natural events.
Consequently, atheism can be regarded as anti-science. Which means .... the real enemy of atheism is science, not religion. And the real enemy of science is atheism, not religion.
An idea which seems to be popular with atheists at present, is a continuously, reciprocating universe, one which ends by running out of energy potential and then rewinds itself in an never ending cycle ..... this is an attempt to evade the fact that an uncaused, natural, first cause is impossible. They claim that, in this way a first cause, is not necessary. And that matter/energy is some sort of eternally existent entity.
So is it a valid solution?
Firstly .....
Matter/energy cannot be eternally existent in a cycle with no beginning).
Why?
Because all natural things are contingent, they have to comply with the law of cause and effect, so they cannot exist independently of causes. The nearest you could get to eternally existent matter/energy would be a very, long chain of causes and effects, but a long chain is not eternally existent, it has to have a beginning at some point. At the beginning there would still have to be a non-contingent first cause. So a long chain of causes and effects simply pushes the first cause further back in time, it can't eliminate it.
Secondly ....
It is pretty obvious that the idea of the universe simply rewinding itself in a never ending cycle, which had no beginning, is complete, unscientific nonsense. How such a proposal can be presented as serious science, beggars belief.
It seems atheists will try anything to justify their naturalist ideology. They apparently have no compunction about completely disregarding natural laws.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics rules out such atheist, pie-in-the-sky, origins mythology.
There is no such thing as a free lunch, the idea of a rewinding universe is tantamount to applying the discredited notion of perpetual motion - on a grand scale, to the universe.
Contingent things don't just rewind of their own accord.
The Second Law (not to mention common sense) rules it out.
Where does the renewed power or renewed energy potential come from?
If you wind up a clock, it doesn't rewind itself after it has stopped.
The universe had a beginning and it will have an end. That is what science tells us, it cannot rewind itself.
Such ridiculous, atheist musings are just a desperate attempt to wriggle out of the inevitable conclusion of logic, and the Law of Cause and Effect which are the real enemies of atheist ideology.
Once again atheism is hoisted on its own petard by natural law and science, not by religion.
A variation of the cyclical universe is the argument proposed by some that the universe just is?
Presumably they mean that the universe is some sort of eternally-existent entity with no beginning - and therefore not in need of a cause? Once again an eternally self-existent universe is not possible for the same reason outlined above.
In addition ....
The Second Law of Thermodynamics tells us the universe certainly had a beginning and will have an end. The energy potential of the universe is decreasing from an original peak at the beginning of the universe. Even the most rabid atheists seem to accept that. Which is why most of them believe in a beginning event, such as a big bang explosion.
So the question is how did it (the universe) begin to exist, not whether it began to exist?
Which takes us back to the question of the nature of the very first cause.
It can only be one of two options,
an uncaused, natural first cause
OR
an uncaused, supernatural first cause.
An uncaused, NATURAL first cause is impossible.
Thus the only possible option is a supernatural first cause, i.e. God.
Atheists can’t refute the Law of Cause and Effect which is so devastating to their naturalist agenda, so they regularly invent bizarre scenarios which ignore natural laws, and hope people won’t notice. If anyone does they just brush it off with remarks like “we just don’t know ” what laws existed prior to the beginning of the universe.
Sorry, the atheist apologists may not know …. but all sensible people do know, we certainly know what is impossible ….
And we certainly know that you cannot blithely step outside the constraints of natural laws and scientific principles, as atheists do, and remain credible.
We know that natural laws describe the inherent properties of matter/energy. Which means wherever matter/energy exist, the inherent properties of matter/energy also exist - and so do the natural laws that describe those properties. if the universe began, as some propose, with a cosmic egg. or a previous universe, those things are still natural entities with natural properties, and as such would be subject to natural laws. So the idea that there were natural events leading up to the origin of the universe that were not subject to natural laws is ridiculous.
The atheist claim; that we just don't know, is not valid, and should be treated as the silliness it really is.
The existence of the law of cause and effect is essential to the scientific method, but fatal to the atheist ideology.
SO ....
Is the law of cause and effect really universal?
Causation is necessary for the existence of the universe, but ALSO for the existence of any natural entities or events that may have preceded the creation of the universe.
In other words, causation is necessary for all matter/energy and all natural entities and occurrences, whether within the universe or elsewhere.
ALL natural entities are contingent wherever they may be, whether in some sort of cosmic egg, a big bang, a previous universe or whatever.
Contingency is an inherent character of all natural entities, so it is impossible for any natural entity to be non-contingent.
Which means you simply CANNOT have a natural entity which is UNCAUSED, anywhere.
If, for example, matter/energy was not contingent at the start of the universe, or before the universe began, how and why would it be contingent now?
Why would nature have changed its basic character to an inferior one?
If matter/energy once had such awesome, autonomous power - if it was, at some time, self-sufficient, not reliant on causes for its operation and existence, and not restricted by the limitations causes impose, it would effectively mean it was once an infinite, necessary, self-existent entity, similar to God.
Now if matter once had the autonomous, non-contingent powers of a god, why would it change itself to a subordinate character and role, when it became part of the universe?
Why would it change to a role where it is limited by the strictures of natural laws. And where it cannot operate without a preceding, adequate cause?
To claim matter/energy was, at one time, not contingent, not subject to causes (which is what atheists have to claim) – is to actually imbue it with the autonomous power of a god.
That is why atheism is really just a revamped version of pagan naturalism.
By denying the basic, contingent character of matter/nature, atheism effectively deifies nature, and credits it with godlike powers, which science clearly tells us it doesn’t possess.
Thus, if anyone dismisses causality, they effectively deify matter/nature.
Which means they have chosen the first of the 2 following choices …
1. Atheism ... the unscientific, illogical belief in a natural, uncaused god (of matter or nature) which violates natural laws - which science recognises restrict its autonomy?
2. Theism ... the logical belief in an uncaused, supernatural God, which created matter and the laws that govern matter. And therefore does not violate any laws, is not contingent, and thus has completely unrestricted autonomy and infinite powers?
Which one would you choose?
Which one do scientists who respect natural laws and the scientific method choose?
The great, scientific luminaries and founders of modern science, such as Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, Louis Pasteur etc., in fact, nearly all of the really great scientists and founders of modern science, had no doubts or problem understanding that choice, and they readily chose the second (theism), as the only logical option.
So, by choosing the second - a supernatural first cause – rather than meaning you are anti-science or anti-reason or some sort of uneducated, superstitious, religious nut (as atheists frequently claim) actually puts you in the greatest of scientific company.
To put it another way, who would you rather trust in science, such scientific giants as: Newton, Pasteur, Faraday, Von Braun, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Mendel, Marconi, Kelvin, Babbage, Pascal, Herschel, Peacock etc. who believed in a supernatural first cause?
OR,
the likes of: Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Lawrence Krauss, Stephen Hawking, Andrew Denton etc. who believe in an uncaused, natural first cause?
No contest!
We can see that atheists are anti-science, because they treat natural law and the whole principle of the scientific method with utter contempt, and all the while, they masquerade as the champions of science to the public.
The question of purpose ....
A further nail in the coffin of bogus, atheist science is the existence of order.
Atheists assume that the universe is purposeless, but they cannot explain the existence of order.
The development of order requires an organizational element.
To do useful work, or to counter the effects of entropy, energy needs to be directed or guided.
Raw energy alone actually tends to increase the effects of entropy, it doesn't increase order.
The organizational principle in living systems is provided by the informational element encoded in DNA.
Atheists have yet to explain how that first, genetic information arose of its own volition in the so-called Primordial Soup?
Natural laws pertinent to all natural entities, they guide the behaviour of energy and matter, but also serve to limit it, because natural laws are based only on the inherent properties of matter and energy.
So ... natural laws describe inherent properties of matter/energy, and natural processes operate only within the confines of natural laws which are based on their own properties. They can never exceed the parameters of those laws.
The much acclaimed, Dawkinsian principle that randomness can develop into order by means of a sieving process, such as shaken pebbles being sorted by falling through a hole of a particular size is erroneous, because it completely ignores the regulatory influence of natural laws on the outcome, which are not at all random.
If we can predict the outcome in advance, as we can with Dawkins' example, it cannot be called random. We CAN predict the outcome because we know that the pebbles will behave according to the regulatory influence of natural laws, such as the law of gravity. If there was no law of gravity, then Dawkins' pebbles, when shaken, would not fall through the hole, they would not be sorted, they would act completely unpredictably, possibly floating about in the air in all directions. In that case, the randomness would not result in any order. That is true randomness.
Dawkins' randomness, allegedly developing into order, is not random at all, the outcome is predictable and controlled by natural laws and the inherent properties of matter. He is starting with 2 organizational principles, natural laws and the inherent, ordered structure and properties of matter, and he calls that randomness!
Bogus science indeed!
This tells us that order is already there at the beginning of the universe, in the form of natural laws and the ordered composition and structure of matter .... it doesn't just develop from random events.
A major problem for atheists is to explain where natural laws came from?
In a purposeless universe there should be no regulatory principles at all.
Firstly, we would not expect anything to exist, we would expect eternal nothingness.
Secondly, even if we overlook that impossible hurdle, and assume by some amazing fluke and contrary to logic, something was able to create itself from nothing ….. we would expect the ‘something’ would have no ordered structure, and no laws based on that ordered structure. We would expect it to behave randomly and chaotically.
This is an absolutely fundamental question to which atheists have no answer. The basic properties of matter/energy, and the universe, scream …. ‘purpose’.
Atheists say the exact opposite.
Furthermore, if we consider the accepted, atheist belief; that matter is inherently predisposed to produce life and the genetic information for life, whenever environmental conditions are conducive (so-called abiogenesis), where does that predisposition for life come from? Once again, atheists are hoisted on their own petard, and the atheist idea of a random, purposeless, universe is left completely in tatters.
It is the atheist ideology that is anti-science, not necessarily individual scientists.
There may be sincere, atheist scientists who respect the scientific method and natural laws, but they are wedded to an ideology that - when push comes to shove, does not respect natural laws.
It is evident that whenever natural laws interfere with atheist naturalist beliefs, the beliefs take precedence over the rigorous, scientific method. It is then that natural laws are disregarded by atheists in favour of unscientific fantasies which are conducive to their ideology.
Of course, in much day-to-day practical science and technology, the question of violating laws doesn't even arise, and we cannot deny that in the course of such work, atheists will respect the scientific method of experiment and observation within the framework of the Law of Cause and Effect and other established laws of science.
Bizarrely, It is a different matter entirely, when it comes to hypotheses about origins. It then becomes an 'anything goes' situation. The main criteria then seems to be that it doesn’t matter whether your hypothesis violates natural laws (all sorts of excuses can be made as to why natural laws need not apply), all that matters is that it is entirely naturalistic, and can be made to sound plausible to the public.
However, the same atheist scientists would not entertain anything in general, day-to-day science, that is not completely in accordance with the scientific method, they make an exception ONLY with anything to do with origins, whether it be the origin of the universe, or the origin of life, or the origin of species.
Atheism is not simply passive non-belief, you can only be a ‘genuine’ atheist if you proactively believe in the following illogical and unscientific propositions:
1. A natural, first cause of the universe that was ‘uncaused’.
2. A natural, first cause of the universe that was patently not adequate for the effect, (a cause which was able to produce an effect far greater than itself and superior to its own abilities).
3. That the universe created ITSELF from nothing.
4. That natural laws simply arose of their own accord, without any reason, purpose or cause.
5. That energy potential at the start of everything material was able to wind itself up from absolute zero, of its own accord, without any reason, purpose or cause.
6. That the effect of entropy (Second Law of Thermodynamics) was somehow suspended or didn’t operate to permit the development of order in the universe.
7. That life spontaneously generated itself, of its own volition, from sterile matter, contrary to: the Law of Biogenesis, the laws of probability, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, Information Theory and common sense.
8. That the complete human genome was created by means of a long chain of copying mistakes of the original, genetic information in the first living cell, (mutations of mutations of mutations, etc. etc.).
9. That the complex DNA code was produced by chemical processes.
10. That the very first, genetic information, encoded in the DNA of the first living cell, created itself by some unknown means.
11. That matter is somehow inherently predisposed to develop into living cells, whenever conditions are conducive to life. But such a predisposition for life just arose of its own accord, with no purpose and with no apparent cause.
12. That an ordered structure of atoms, guiding laws of physics, order in the cosmos, order in the living cell and complex information, are what we would expect to occur naturally in a purposeless universe.
The claim of atheists to be the champions of science and reason is clearly bogus.
They think they can get away with it by pretending to have no beliefs.
However, when seriously challenged to justify their dogmatic rejection of a Supernatural First Cause, they indirectly espouse the unscientific beliefs outlined above, in their futile attempts to refute the evidence for a supernatural first cause.
Of course, whenever possible, they avoid declaring those beliefs explicitly, but you don’t need to be very astute to realize that relying on those beliefs is the unavoidable conclusion of their arguments.
That is why atheism is intellectually bankrupt and is doomed to the dustbin of history. And that is why we are seeing such a rise in militant, evangelizing, atheist zealots, such as Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens.
Their crusading, bravado masks their desperation that the public is so hard to convince. What Dawkins et al need to face is that they are in no position to attack what they consider are the bizarre beliefs of others, when their own beliefs (which they fail to publicly acknowledge) are much more bizarre.
What about Christianity and pagan gods?
Atheists frequently try to dismiss and ridicule the idea of a Creator by comparing it to the numerous, pagan gods that people have worshipped throughout history.
Do they have a good point?
Certainly not, this is just a red herring ….
Other gods, cannot be the first cause or Creator.
Idols of wood or stone, or the Sun, Moon, planets, Mother Nature, Mother Earth etc. are all material, contingent things, they cannot be the first cause.
They are rejected as false gods by the Bible and by logic and natural laws.
They are considered gods by people who worship things which are 'created' rather than the Creator, which the Bible condemns.
In fact, they are much more similar to the atheist belief in the powers of a naturalistic entity to create the universe, than they are to the one, Creator God of Christianity.
For example, the pagan belief in the creative powers of Ra (the Sun god) is similar to the atheist belief that raw energy from the Sun acting on sterile chemicals was able to create life.
So atheist mythology credits the Sun (Ra) with the godlike power of creating life on Earth. And thus, atheism is just a revamped version of paganism.
Just like paganism, atheism rejects worship of a Supernatural, First Cause, and rather chooses to worship created, natural entities, imbuing them with the same godlike powers, that theists attribute to the Creator.
There is nothing new under the Sun ... We can see that atheism is just the age old deception of ancient paganism, revisited.
The Creator is a Supernatural, First Cause, which is not a contingent entity, nothing like the pagan gods, but rather a self-existent, necessary entity. As the very first cause of everything in the universe, it cannot be contingent (it cannot rely on anything outside itself for its existence, i.e. it is self-existent) and therefore it cannot be a material entity.
The first cause is necessary because, not being contingent, it necessarily exists.
If anything exists that is not contingent, it has to have within itself everything necessary for its own existence. If it is also responsible for the existence of anything outside itself (which as the first cause of the universe, we know it is) it is also necessary for the existence of those things, and has to be entirely adequate for the purpose of bringing them into being and maintaining their continued existence. It is not subject to natural laws, which only apply to natural events and effects, because, as the first cause, it is the initiator and creator of everything material, including the laws which govern material events, and of time itself.
The atheist view of a natural first cause is not even rational, to propose that all the qualities I have mentioned above could apply to a material entity is clearly ridiculous. But apparently, atheism has no regard for natural laws or logic. Atheists get round it by simply dressing up their irrational beliefs to make them appear ‘scientific’.
This combined with rants and erroneous and derisory slogans about religious myths and superstition makes it all seem perfectly reasonable. Unfortunately, those with little knowledge, or who can’t be bothered to think for themselves are taken in by it.
Atheists repeatedly claim that they have refuted the law of cause and effect by asking : So what caused God then?
How true is that?
The ... what caused God? argument is a rather silly argument which atheists regularly trot out. All it demonstrates is that they don't understand basic logic.
The question to always ask them is; what part of FIRST don't you understand?
If something is the very FIRST, it means there is nothing that precedes it. First means first, not second or third.
That means that the first cause cannot be a contingent entity, because a contingent entity depends on something preceding it for its existence. In which case, if something precedes it, it couldn't be FIRST.
All natural entities, events and effects are contingent ... that is why the Law of Cause and Effect states that ... every NATURAL effect requires an adequate cause.
That means that the first cause cannot be a natural entity. An UNCAUSED, NATURAL event or entity is ruled out as not possible by the Law of Cause and Effect.
Therefore the very FIRST CAUSE of the universe, which we know cannot be caused, by virtue of it being FIRST (not second or third) CANNOT be a natural entity or event.
Thus we deduce that the first cause ... cannot be contingent, cannot be a natural entity, and cannot be subject to the Law of Cause and Effect.
So the first cause has to be non-material, i.e. supernatural.
The first cause also has to have the creative potential to create every other cause and effect that follows it.
In other words, the first cause cannot be inferior in any respect to the properties, powers or qualities of anything that exists...
The effect cannot be greater than the cause....
So we can thus deduce that the first cause is: UNCAUSED, SUPERNATURAL, self-existent, and capable of creating everything we see in the existing universe.
If there is life in the universe, the first cause must have the ability to create life,
If there is intelligence in the universe, the first cause must have the ability to create intelligence.
If there is information in the universe, the first cause must have the ability to create information.
If there is consciousness in the universe, the first cause must have the ability to create consciousness. And so on and on. If it exists, the first cause is responsible for it, and must have the ability to create it.
That is the Creator God … and His existence is supported by impeccable logic and adherence to the demands of natural law.
Atheists often say: you can’t fill gaps in knowledge with a supernatural first cause.
But we are not talking about filling gaps, we are talking about a fundamental issue ... the origin of everything in the material realm.
The first cause is not a gap, it is the beginning - and many of the greatest scientists in the history of science had no problem whatsoever with the logic that - a natural, first cause was impossible, and the only possible option was a supernatural creator.
Why do atheists have such a problem with it?
Atheists also seem to think that to explain the origin of the universe without a God, simply involves explaining what triggered it, as though its formation from that point on, just happens automatically.
This has been compared by some as similar to lighting the blue touch paper of a firework. They think that if they can propose such a naturalistic trigger, then God is made redundant.
That may sound plausible to some members of the public, who take such pronouncements at face value, and are somewhat in awe of anything that is claimed to be 'scientific'.
But it is obvious to anyone who thinks seriously about it, that a mere trigger is not necessarily an adequate cause.
A trigger presupposes that there is some sort of a mechanism/blueprint/plan already existing which is ready to spring into action if it is provided with an appropriate trigger. So a trigger is not a sole cause, or a first cause, it is merely one contributing cause.
Natural things do only what they are programmed to do, i.e. they obey natural laws and the demands of their own pre-ordered composition and structure. Lighting blue touch paper would do absolutely nothing, unless there is a carefully designed and manufactured firework already attached to it.
What about the idea proposed by some atheists that space must have always existed, and therefore the first cause was not the only eternally, uncaused self-existent power?
This implies that the first cause was limited by a self-existent rival (space,) which was also uncaused, and therefore the first cause could not be infinite and could not even be a proper first cause, because there was something it didn’t cause i.e. ‘space’.
There seems to be some confusion here about what ‘space’ actually is.
Space is part of the created universe, it is what lies between and around material objects in the cosmos, if there were no material objects in the cosmos, there would be no space. The confusion lies in the failure to distinguish between empty space and nothing. Nothing is the absence of everything, whereas space is a medium in which cosmic bodies exist. ‘Empty’ space is just the space between objects. So space is not an uncaused, eternally self-existent entity, it is dependent on material objects existing within it, for its own existence.
What about nothing? Is that an uncaused eternally self-existent thing? Firstly, it is not a thing, it is the absence of all things. So has nothing always existed? Well, yes it essentially would have always existed, but only if the first cause didn’t exist. If there is a first cause is that is eternally self-existent, then there is no such thing as absolute nothing, because nothing is the absence of everything. If a first cause exists (which it had to), then any proposed eternal ‘nothing’ has always contained something, and therefore can never have been ‘nothing’.
What about the idea that the first cause created everything material from nothing? Obviously, the ‘nothing’ that is meant here is … nothing material, i.e. the absence of any material entities.
The uncaused, first cause cannot be material, because all material things are contingent, so the first cause brought material things into being, when nothing material had previously existed. That is what is meant by creation from nothing.
So what existed outside of the eternally existent first cause? Obviously no other thing existed outside of the first cause, the first cause was the only thing that existed. So did the first cause exist in a sea of eternally existent nothingness?
No! the first cause was not nothing, it was ‘something’. So to ask what surrounded the something that is the first cause is not a valid question, because if something exists that is not ‘nothing’. This means that such a notion of ‘nothing’ didn’t exist, only something – i.e. the eternally existent first cause. If you have a box with something in it, you wouldn’t say there is both something and nothing in the box. You would say there is something in the box, regardless of whether there was some empty space around the thing in the box.
Atheists invent all sorts of bizarre myths to explain the origin of the universe and matter/energy.
Such as the utterly, ludicrous notion of the universe creating itself from nothing. Obviously for something to create itself, it would need to pre-exist its own creation, in order to do the creating!
They are clutching at straws and anyone with any common sense understands that.
So to sum up .....
The atheist ideology is illogical, unscientific nonsense. Even worse, it has no compunction in treating natural laws and the basic principle of the scientific method with utter distain and contempt whenever they interfere with atheist beliefs.
Science is the real enemy of atheism, and atheism is the real enemy of science.
So please ignore the atheist bus slogans, they are not worth the ink the are printed with.
FOUNDATIONS OF SCIENCE
The Law of Cause and Effect. Dominant Principle of Classical Physics. David L. Bergman and Glen C. Collins
www.thewarfareismental.net/b/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/b...
"The Big Bang's Failed Predictions and Failures to Predict: (Updated Aug 3, 2017.) As documented below, trust in the big bang's predictive ability has been misplaced when compared to the actual astronomical observations that were made, in large part, in hopes of affirming the theory."
U.S. Marines from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 and Air Force Airmen with the 621st Contingency Response Wing conduct a sling load operation with a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., May 10, 2012. The units were preparing for a Marine Corps airpower demonstration at the 2012 Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Open House and Air Show. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Edward Gyokeres, U.S. Air Force/Released)
Associate Administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Thomas Zurbuchen, tears apart the contingency plan during a NASA Perseverance rover mission post-landing update, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Volvo B10BLE Wright Renown Y151 HRN is technically a spare bus, part of a contingency fleet. I am not keen on the current livery this bus carries, as it looks plain, unfinished, and cheap... the white sticky-back Transdev logos complete with cringeworthy motto don't help either.
This image is a computer-generated picture of how I would improve the livery. Firstly, the 'fade' graphic to make the transition from beige to blue easier on the eye and to tie in with the Unibus livery. Then, in the same shade of blue as the back end of the bus, the large swoop associated with the Yorkshire Coastliner livery would then make its way from back to front before curving down around the Wrightbus logo. And at the front, the recess just below the windscreen would be blue as well to tie in with the York White Rose livery.
Along the upper flank would be the route logos associated with services operated from the York depot, in alphabetical order: Coastliner, Unibus, York. Under the windows would be the simple description of "Local Bus Services From Transdev" to wrap everything up nice and neatly.... the end result being a bus that doesn't look out of place on every service it operates, which is the case in it's current ordinary livery.
Airmen from the 821st Contingency Response Group walk out to the flightline to support an airfield operations at Qayyarah West Airfield, Iraq, Nov. 19, 2016. The 821st CRG is highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain and coordinate air mobility operations in austere, bare-base conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jordan Castelan) www.dvidshub.net
Trellchem HPS suits with Trellcovers came into use when Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency invited APS to observe a chemical incident exercize they were running together with the Swedish Coastguard and local Fire Services. Chemical responders from Swedish Coastguard RITS Team.
Please visit our website for more info on Trellchem chemical protective suits:
EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT -- A person jumps from the north tower of New York's World Trade Center Tuesday Sept. 11, 2001. Mounting an audacious attack against the United States, terrorists crashed two hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and brought down the twin 110-story towers. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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Outlining a Theory of General Creativity . .
. . on a 'Pataphysical projectory
Entropy ≥ Memory ● Creativity ²
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Study of the day:
L’organisation d’un système c’est sa fonction. Sa fonction se trouve là dans le système, et elle ne peut changer que sous l’effet de modifications externes, mais ce qui vient de l’extérieur n’est pas toujours un programme. Ça peut être simplement du bruit intégré à un certain état d’organisation du système de telle manière que le système n'est pas détruit mais évolue vers un autre état d’organisation.
The organization of a system is its function. Its function is there in the system, and it can only change as a result of external changes, but what comes from outside is not always a program. It can be simply some noise integrated into a state of the system organization such as the system is not destroyed but evolves into a different state of organization.
( Henri Atlan )
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rectO-persO | E ≥ m.C² | co~errAnce | TiLt
Nat Geo Photo of Mercury astronaut contingency exit training in the Gulf of Mexico. If the spacecraft touched down far from the recovery forces, the plan was to allow the astronaut to exit the spacecraft through the neck area which had previously held the parachutes, rather than the main side hatch. Egress through the side hatch could only be accomplished safely if the divers had already attached the flotation collar or with the spacecraft hatch sill lifted above the waterline by the recovery helicopter. Scott Carpenter, who's Aurora 7 landed far off target, was the only astronaut to use this procedure on an actual flight.
PHILIPPINE SEA (March 27, 2019) - F-35B Lightning II aircraft, assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, and MV-22 Ospreys, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 268, are secured to the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1). Wasp, flagship of Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, is operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a lethal ready-response force for any type of contingency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Barker) 190327-N-RI884-3567
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