Dixie Chicks: "Creative Integrity"

I saw the Grammy Award nominations came out today, and it looks like they've sunk to a new low, with Justin Freakin' Timberlake getting a nomination for Album of the Year(!) for his "SexyHairyBack" album (or whatever it's called). What interested me most, though, was seeing the Dixie Chicks nominated for both Song and Record of the Year for "Not Ready To Make Nice". This one wasn't a surprise; after all, the Chicks have been lionized by the media for their "courage" for releasing this song of non-repentance. Here's my question -- how many of you think they would have gotten nominated by the music establishment if they'd released the same song, with the same music and production values, and the same lyrical meter, only it was called "I'm Ready To Make Nice" and was an apology to their fans for offending them?

I didn't think so...

Weblog Awards 2006: Voting Now Open

Voting has opened in many categories for this year's Weblog Awards, including for the highly-coveted "Best of the Top 2501-3500 Blogs" category. You can vote once every 24 hours, so vote early and often. Click on the logo below to go to the voting page!



Coming soon: A completely impartial "Voters Guide" for the 2501-3500 category.

Update: The Voters Guide is here.

Sixty-Five Years Ago Today...

Eagle1 remembers Pearl Harbor in pictures. For me, the picture that says the most about the meaning of that day is a more recent one -- one that shows the symbol of the war starting for America alongside the symbol of the war's end: USS Arizona (BB 39) and USS Missouri (BB 63).

"Rest easy, sleep well my brothers.
Know the line has held, your job is done.
Rest easy, sleep well . . . "

Escape From L.A.

I was kind of surprised to learn that the Sub Force hadn't conducted an actual open ocean ESCAPEX from a submarine at sea in over 30 years -- until last Saturday, that is. Navy NewsStand has an interesting story of the escape exercise the USS Los Angeles (SSN 688) did up in Alaska:

Seven personnel practiced locking out from the attack submarine USS Los Angeles (SSN 688) and ascending to the surface wearing special suits that are designed to enable a free ascent from a stricken submarine Dec. 2 during ESCAPEX at the Navy’s Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility in Ketchikan, Alaska...
...The MK10 Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment, or SEIE, allows survivors to escape a disabled submarine at depths down to 600 feet, at a rate of eight or more men per hour. It is designed to enable a free ascent from a stricken submarine and provides protection for the submariner on reaching the surface until rescued. The assembly is comprised of a submarine escape and immersion suit, an inner thermal liner and a gas inflated single seat life raft, all contained in an outer protective stowage compartment.
For the exercise, Los Angeles embarked six U.S. Navy divers, as well as a British diver from the Royal Navy. The submarine submerged to 130 feet, where each of the seven divers donned the SEIE suits, entered the escape trunk, and ascended.
Chief Navy Diver (DSW/SW) Sean Daoust, a submarine escape instructor at the Naval Submarine School in Groton, Conn., was the first to ascend. Daoust said he was honored to be the first to escape from a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine, and couldn’t wait to return to his students with his firsthand knowledge...
...After Daoust, there were three tandem escapes. Los Angeles crew member Fire Control Technician 2nd Class (SS) Gary Halsey was one of the Sailors given the chance to participate in a tandem escape. While thrilled at the experience, Halsey also said it was reassuring to know that the escape system works.

Pictures from the exercise are here and here. The last one shows FT2(SS) Halsey reaching the surface while wearing his Submarine Escape and Immersion Equipment, pictured below:

It looks a lot more useful than the old Steinke hoods (pictured here). I admit that I'm one of those who thought that escape training was kind of a waste of time, and useful only for making our womenfolk feel better. (Plus, I was part of the generation of submariners that never got to go through an Escape Tower; all we had was the escape trainer in a pool. In a couple years, though, they're going to have a brand-new one in Groton.)

Here's what concerned me -- you know how everyone knew about the "golden needle" the Doc would have to use on you before you ascended? What if only the Engine Room was unflooded, and the Doc wasn't back there? Would you trust some MMC(SS) with anything sharp anywhere near your eardrum right before getting into the Escape Trunk? I certainly wouldn't. I always figured that if I ended up in that situation, I'd stay with the boat until the DSRV arrived.

Weblog Awards 2006: The Finalists Are Announced

The announcement of finalists just came out for the 2006 Weblog Awards, and it looks like some of my favorite blogs made the list: BlameBush!, CDR Salamander, EagleSpeak, and... me!

I can assure you that I'll run a dignified campaign -- something you won't be able to expect from my competition for the coveted "Best of the Top 2501-3500 Blogs" category (most of whom are probably jihadi sympathizers).