text:
The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was disbanded shortly thereafter. The United States Constitution provided the legal basis for a seaborne military force by giving Congress the power "to provide and maintain a navy". Depredations against American shipping by Barbary Coast corsairs spurred Congress to employ this power by passing the Naval Act of 1794 ordering the construction and manning of six frigates. The U.S. Navy came into international prominence in the 20th century, especially during World War II. It was a part of the conflict from the onset of American military involvement—the attack on Pearl Harbor—to Japan's official surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri. In the subsequent Cold War, the U.S. Navy evolved into a nuclear deterrent and crisis response force while preparing for a possible global war with the Soviet Union.
The 21st century United States Navy maintains a sizable presence in the world, deploying in such areas as East Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. Its ability to project force onto the littoral regions of the world, engage in forward areas during peacetime, and rapidly respond to regional crises makes it an active player in American foreign and defense policy. The United States Navy is the largest in the world with a tonnage greater than that of the next 17 largest combined, and has a budget of $127.3 billion for the 2007 fiscal year. The U.S. Navy also possesses the world's largest carrier fleet, with 11 in service and 2 under construction.
The Navy is administratively managed by the Department of the Navy, which is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Navy. The Department of the Navy is, itself, a division of the Department of Defense, which is headed by the Secretary of Defense. The highest ranking Naval officer is the Chief of Naval Operations.
Commander in Chief George Washington commissioned seven ocean-going cruisers to interdict British supply ships, and reported the captures to the Congress, the letter arriving to be read on 13 October a.d. 1775, effectively ending the debate in Congress as to whether or not to "provoke" the British by establishing a Navy. Washington's ships had already captured British ships, somewhat a provocation.
While Congress deliberated, it received word that two unarmed British supply ships from England were heading towards Quebec without escort. A plan was drawn up to intercept the ships, however the armed vessels to be used were owned not by Congress, but by individual colonies. Of greater significance, then, was an additional plan to equip two ships that would operate under the direct authority of Congress to capture British supply transports. This was not carried out until October 13 1775, when George Washington announced that he had taken command of three armed schooners under Continental authority to intercept any British supply ships near Massachusetts. With the revelation that vessels were already sailing under Continental control, the decision to add two more was made easier; the resolution was adopted and October 13 would later become known as the United States Navy's official birthday.
The Continental Navy achieved mixed results; it was successful in a few individual engagements and raided many British merchant vessels, but it lost 24 shipsand at one point was reduced to two in active service. As Congress turned its attention after the conflict towards securing the western border of the new United States, a standing navy was considered to be dispensable because of its high operating costs and its limited number of national roles.
Following an undeclared Quasi-War with France, the U.S. Navy saw substantial action in the War of 1812, where it was able to defeat three rival British frigates in a six month period and lost two frigates to the British Navy with another being burned on the ways to prevent capture and did record victories in freshwater battles at Lake Champlain and Lake Erie. The U.S. Navy was not strong enough to prevent the British from blockading American ports and landing troops at will. After the war, the U.S. Navy again focused its attention on protecting American shipping assets, sending squadrons to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, South America, Africa, and the Pacific. The United States went to war in 1846 against Mexico and the Navy contributed by instituting a blockade, assisting the American takeover of California, and participating in the U.S. military's first large-scale amphibious operation at Vera Cruz. The United States Navy established itself as a player in American foreign policy through the actions of Commodore Matthew Perry in Japan, which resulted in the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854.
Naval power would play a significant role during the Civil War, where the Union had a distinct advantage over the Confederacy on the seas. A Union blockade on shipping handicapped the Southern effort throughout the conflict. The two American navies would help usher in a new era in world naval history by putting ironclad warships into combat for the first time. The Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862, which pitted USS Monitor against CSS Virginia, became the first engagement between two steam-powered ironclads. Soon after the war, however, the U.S. Navy slipped into obsolescence because of neglect.
A modernization program beginning in the 1880s brought the U.S. into the first rank of the world's navies by the end of the century. In 1907, most of the Navy's battleships, with several support vessels, dubbed the Great White Fleet, were showcased in a 14-month circumnavigation of the world. Ordered by President Theodore Roosevelt, it was a mission designed to demonstrate the Navy's capability to extend to the global theater.
The Navy saw little action during World War I, but grew into a formidable force in the years before World War II. Though ultimately unsuccessful, Japan attempted to allay this strategic threat with the late-1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Following American entry into the war, the U.S. Navy grew tremendously as the United States was faced with a two-front war on the seas. It achieved notable acclaim in the Pacific Theater in particular, where it was instrumental to the Allies' successful "island hopping" campaign. The U.S. Navy participated in many significant battles, including the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and the Battle of Okinawa. By 1943, the Navy's size was larger than the combined fleets of all the other combatant nations in World War II. By war's end in 1945, the United States Navy had added hundreds of new ships, including 18 aircraft carriers and 8 battleships, and had over 70% of the world's total numbers and total tonnage of naval vessels of 1,000 tons or greater.
With the potential for armed conflict with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the U.S. Navy continued to advance technologically by developing new weapons systems, ships, and aircraft. United States naval strategy changed to that of forward deployment in support of U.S. allies with an emphasis on carrier battle groups. The Navy was a major participant in the Vietnam War, blockaded Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and, through the use of ballistic missile submarines, became an important aspect of the United States' nuclear strategic deterrence policy. The United States Navy conducted various combat operations in the Persian Gulf against Iran in 1987 and 1988, most notably Operation Praying Mantis. The Navy was extensively involved in Operation Urgent Fury, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, the Bosnia and Kosovo campaigns, Operation Desert Fox, and Operation Southern Watch.
In 2007, the U.S. Navy joined with the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard to adopt a new maritime strategy called A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower that raises the notion of prevention of war to the same philosophical level as the conduct of war. The strategy was presented by the Chief of Naval Operations, the Commandant of the Marine Corps and Commandant of the Coast Guard at the International Seapower Symposium in Newport, R.I. on October 17, 2007. The strategy recognized the economic links of the global system and how any disruption due to regional crises – manmade or natural – can adversely impact the U.S. economy and quality of life. This new strategy charts a course for the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps to work collectively with each other and international partners to prevent these crises from occurring or reacting quickly should one occur to avoid negative impacts to the United States.
The Navy falls under the administration of the Department of the Navy, under civilian leadership of the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV). The most senior naval officer is the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), a four-star admiral who is immediately under and reports to the Secretary of the Navy. At the same time, the Chief of Naval Operations is one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is the second-highest deliberatory body of the armed forces after the United States National Security Council, although it only plays an advisory role to the President and does not nominally form part of the chain of command. The Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations are responsible for organizing, recruiting, training, and equipping the Navy so that it is ready for operation under the command of the Unified Combatant Commanders.
The United States Navy has six active numbered fleets — Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh — that are each led by a three-star Vice Admiral and the Fourth fleet led by a Rear Admiral. These six fleets are further grouped under Fleet Forces Command (the former Atlantic Fleet), Pacific Fleet, Naval Forces Europe, and Naval Forces Central Command, whose commander also doubles as Commander Fifth Fleet; these four commands are led by four-star full Admirals. The First Fleet existed after the Second World War from 1947 at least, but it was redesignated Third Fleet in early 1973. In early 2008, the United States Navy reactivated the Fourth Fleet to control operations in the area controlled by Southern Command, which consists of US assets in and around Central and South America.
The Navy maintains several "Naval Forces Commands" which operate naval shore facilities and serve as liaison units to local ground forces of the Air Force and Army. Such commands are answerable to a Fleet Commander as the shore protector component of the afloat command. During times of war, all Naval Forces Commands augment to become task forces of a primary fleet. Some of the larger Naval Forces Commands in the Pacific Ocean include Commander Naval Forces Korea (CNFK), Commander Naval Forces Marianas (CNFM), and Commander Naval Forces Japan (CNFJ).
The relationship extends to the operational theater as well. As amphibious assault specialists, Marines often deploy on, and attack from, Navy vessels; while being transported on Navy ships, they must obey the orders of their captains. Marine aviaiton tailhook squadrons train and operate alongside Navy squadrons, flying similar missions and often flying sorties together. Other types of Marine air squadrons operate from amphibious assault ships in support of Marine amphibious operations. Navy and Marine squadrons use the same NATOPS aviation manuals and procedures. The USMC does not train chaplains, Religious Programs Specialists and Hospital Corpsmen or medical doctors; thus officers and enlisted sailors from the Navy fulfill these roles. They generally wear Marine uniforms that are emblazoned with Navy insignia and markings to distinguish themselves from Marines. Corpsmen, Religious Program Specialists, and chaplains enjoy a great sense of camaraderie with the Marines due in part because they work closely with them and often are embedded with Marine units. They operate under the command of the Marine Corps under the auspices of the Fleet Marine Force, often called "green side" corpsman.
The Navy and Marine Corps also share many aspects of naval culture, to include naval terminology (slang and jargon), as well as many traditions.
The United States Navy has nearly 500,000 personnel, approximately a quarter of whom are in ready reserve. Of those on active duty, more than eighty percent are enlisted sailors while commissioned officers make up around fifteen percent; the rest are midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy (who are on active duty), NROTC units at over 180 universities around the country and officer candidates at Officer Candidate School.
Sailors prove they have mastered skills and deserve responsibilities by completing Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS) tasks and examinations. Among the most important is the "warfare qualification," which denotes a journeyman level of capability in Surface Warfare, Aviation Warfare, Naval Aircrew, Special Warfare or Submarine Warfare. Many qualifications are denoted on a sailor's uniform with U.S. Navy badges and insignia.
Commissioned officers can generally be divided into line officers and staff corps; line officers can be further split into unrestricted and restricted communities. Unrestricted Line Officers are the warfighting command element and are authorized to lead ships, aviation squadrons, and special operations units. Restricted Line Officers, on the other hand, concentrate on non-combat related fields, such as engineering and maintenance; they are not qualified to command combat units. Staff Corps officers are specialists in fields that are themselves professional careers and not exclusive to the military, for example: medicine, law, and civil engineering.
Up until Fiscal Year 2005, all officers entering the U.S. Navy were awarded a Reserve commission (they were commissioned as Ensign, United States Navy Reserve). Legislation was signed that all Reserve Officers on Active Duty, designated by a "5" in the last digit of the designator, would be converted over to a Regular Navy commission by close of Fiscal Year 2006.
|Commissioned Officer Rank Structure of the United States Navy
|Fleet Admiral
|Vice Admiral
|Rear Admiral
(upper half)
|Rear Admiral
(lower half)
|O-11 (Inactive)
|Lieutenant Commander
|Lieutenant, Junior Grade
|Commissioned Warrant Officer Rank Structure of the United States Navy
|Chief Warrant Officer Five
|Chief Warrant Officer Four
|Chief Warrant Officer Three
|Chief Warrant Officer Two
Enlisted members of pay grades E-4 and above are said to be "rated," meaning that they possess a rating, or occupational specialty. Members of grades E-1 to E-3 can be "strikers," meaning they have the same rating designation as a Petty Officer in their field (example: a BM3 is a Petty Officer Third Class rated as a Boatswain's Mate; BMSN is a Seaman designated as a Boatswain's Mate striker), but do not necessarily have to be. Whether a designated striker or not, personnel in the pay grades of E-3 and below are all considered "Non-Rates." There are more than 50 ratings covering a broad range of skills and subspecialties.
|Non-Commissioned Officer and Enlisted Rate Structure of the United States Navy
|Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
|Fleet/Force Master Chief Petty Officer
|Command Master Chief Petty Officer
|Master Chief Petty Officer
|Senior Chief Petty Officer
|Chief Petty Officer
|Petty Officer First Class
|Petty Officer Second Class
|Petty Officer Third Class
|Seaman Apprentice
|Seaman Recruit
|No insignia
The uniforms of the United States Navy are designed to combine professionalism and naval heritage with versatility, safety, and comfort. The Navy currently incorporates many different styles that are specific for a variety of uses and occasions. In most cases, distinctions are made to distinguish officers and enlisted men in their uniformed appearance. U.S. Navy uniforms can generally be divided into three categories: dress uniforms, service uniforms, and working uniforms.
Recently, the Navy completed a project named "Task Force Uniform" to streamline Navy uniforms. Among the changes are that enlisted personnel from Seaman Recruit to Petty Officer First Class (E1-E6) will have one year-round service uniform instead of Winter Blues and Summer Whites. All personnel from Seaman Recruit to Admiral will also have new working uniforms dubbed Navy Working Uniform (NWU) to replace the wash khakis, coveralls, dungarees, and aviation working greens currently in use. The uniform is a digital patterned camouflage in predominantly haze gray and blue hues.
Grooming for both male and female sailors is regulated to a high degree, with exact standards in regards to hair, facial hair, use of cosmetics, and jewelry. New male recruits are given the military crew cut and are prohibited from having hair longer than four inches (102 mm) while in the service. Men are required to be clean shaven at all times, although mustaches are allowed. Women do not have a hair length regulation, however hair cannot fall past the bottom edge of the uniform collar and the style of hair is strictly controlled. Multicolored hair, body piercing, and tattoos on the head are banned for both sexes.
Navy Corpsmen are authorized to wear US Marine Corps MARPATS when attached to Marine Corps units.
The size, complexity, and international presence of the United States Navy require a large number of navy installations to support its operations. While the majority of bases are located on the West and East coasts of the United States, the Navy maintains a significant number of facilities farther inland and abroad, either in U.S.-controlled territories or in foreign countries under a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).
The second largest concentration of installations is in Hampton Roads, Virginia, where the Navy occupies over 36,000 acres (146 km²) of land. Located in Hampton Roads are NS Norfolk, homeport of the Atlantic Fleet, NAS Oceana, a Master Jet Base, Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, as well as a number of Navy and commercial shipyards that service Navy vessels. The state of Florida is the location of three major bases, Naval Station Mayport, the Navy's fourth largest, near Jacksonville, Florida, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, a Master Air Anti-submarine Warfare base, and Naval Air Station Pensacola, the primary training base for Navy and Marine Naval Flight Officers and Naval Aircrewman personnel. The main U.S. Navy submarine bases are located in Groton, Connecticut and Kings Bay, Georgia. There are also naval bases in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Brunswick, Maine.
Naval Base San Diego, California is principal home to the Pacific Fleet (although the headquarters is located in Pearl Harbor). NAS North Island is located on the north side of Coronado, and is home to the West Coast carrier fleet. The Naval Special Warfare Center is the primary training center for SEALs, and is also located on Coronado. The other major collection of naval bases on the west coast is in Puget Sound, Washington. Among them, Naval Station Everett is one of the newer bases and the Navy states that it is its most modern facility. NAS Fallon, Nevada servs as the primary training ground for Navy Strike aircrews, and is home to the Naval Strike Air Warfare Center. The naval presence in Hawaii is centered on Pearl Harbor Naval Base, which hosts the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet and many of its subordinate commands.
The names of commissioned ships of the U.S. Navy start with "USS, designating "United States Ship." Non-commissioned, civilian-manned vessels of the Navy have names that begin with "USNS," standing for "United States Naval Ship" The names of ships are officially selected by the Secretary of the Navy, often to honor important people or places. Additionally, each ship is given a letter-based hull classification symbol (for example, CVN or DDG) to indicate the vessel's type and a hull number. All ships in the Navy inventory are placed in the Naval Vessel Register, which tracks data such as the current status of a ship, the date of its commissioning, and the date of its decommissioning. Vessels that are removed from the register prior to disposal are said to be stricken from the register. The Navy also maintains a reserve fleet of inactive vessels that are maintained for reactivation in times of need.
The Navy pioneered the use of nuclear reactors aboard naval vessels; today, nuclear energy powers most U.S. aircraft carriers and submarines. In the case of a Nimitz-class carrier, two naval reactors give the ship almost unlimited range and provide enough electrical energy to power a city of 100,000 people. The U.S. Navy previously operated nuclear-powered cruisers and destroyers as well, but all have been decommissioned.
Due to their ability to put most nations within striking distance of U.S. air power, aircraft carriers are the cornerstones of the United States' forward deployment and deterrence strategy. Multiple carriers are deployed around the world at any given time to provide military presence, respond quickly to crises, and participate in joint exercises with allied forces; this has led the Navy to refer to their Nimitz-class carriers as "4.5 acres of sovereign and mobile American territory. Former President Bill Clinton summed up the importance of the aircraft carrier by stating that "when word of crisis breaks out in Washington, it's no accident the first question that comes to everyone's lips is: where is the nearest carrier? The power and operational flexibility of a carrier lie in the aircraft of its carrier air wing. Made up of both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, a carrier air wing is able to perform over 150 strike missions, hitting over 700 targets a day. Carrier air wings also protect friendly forces, conduct electronic warfare, assist in special operations, and carry out search and rescue missions. The carriers themselves, in addition to enabling airborne operations, serve as command platforms for large battle groups or multinational task forces. U.S. Navy aircraft carriers can also host aircraft from other nations' navies; the French Navy's Rafale has operated, during naval exercises, from U.S. Navy flight decks.
A carrier is typically deployed along with a host of additional vessels, forming a carrier strike group. The supporting ships, which usually include three or four Aegis-equipped cruisers and destroyers, a frigate, and two attack submarines, are tasked with protecting the carrier from air, missile, sea, and undersea threats as well as providing additional strike capabilities themselves. Ready logistics support for the group is provided by a combined ammunition, oiler, and supply ship. Aircraft carriers beginning with have been named for politicians important to the Navy or United States history. Previous aircraft carriers were generally named for battles and past famous fighting ships of the Navy.
Amphibious assault ships are the centerpieces of US amphibious warfare and fulfill the same power projection role as aircraft carriers except that their striking force comprises land forces instead of aircraft. They deliver, command, coordinate, and fully support all elements of a 2200-strong Marine Expeditionary Unit in an amphibious assault using air and amphibious vehicles. Resembling small aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships are capable of V/STOL, STOVL, VTOL, tiltrotor, and rotary wing aircraft operations. They also contain a welldeck to support the use of Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) and other amphibious assault watercraft. Recently, amphibious assault ships have begun to be deployed as the core of an expeditionary strike group, which usually consists of an additional amphibious transport dock and dock landing ship for amphibious warfare and an Aegis-equipped cruiser and destroyer, frigate, and attack submarine for group defense. Amphibious assault ships are typically named after World War II aircraft carriers.
Amphibious transport docks are warships that embark, transport, and land Marines, supplies, and equipment in a supporting role during amphibious warfare missions. With a landing platform, amphibious transport docks also have the capability to serve as secondary aviation support for an expeditionary group. All amphibious transport docks can operate helicopters, LCACs, and other conventional amphibious vehicles while the newer San Antonio class of ships has been explicitly designed to operate all three elements of the Marines' "mobility triad": Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles (EFVs), the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, and the previously mentioned LCACs. Amphibious transport docks are named for cities, except for USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19), named for Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, and two of the three ships named in memory of the September 11, 2001 attacks: USS New York (LPD-21), for the state of New York, and USS Somerset (LPD-25) for Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
The dock landing ship is a medium amphibious transport that is designed specifically to support and operate Landing Craft Air Cushions (LCACs), though it is able to operate other amphibious assault vehicles in the United States inventory as well. Dock landing ships are normally deployed as a component of an expeditionary strike group's amphibious assault contingent, operating as a secondary launch platform for LCACs. All dock landing ships are named after locations in the United States.
Cruisers are large surface combat vessels that conduct anti-air/anti-missile warfare, surface warfare, undersea warfare, and strike operations independently or as members of a larger task force. Modern guided missile cruisers were developed out of a need to counter the anti-ship missile threat facing the United States Navy. This led to the development of the AN/SPY-1 phased array radar and the Standard Missile 2 with the Aegis combat system coordinating the two. Ticonderoga-class cruisers became the first to equip Aegis and were put to use primarily as anti-air and anti-missile defense in a battle force protection role. Later developments of vertical launch systems and the Tomahawk missile gave cruisers additional long-range land and sea strike capability, making them capable of both offensive and defensive battle operations. All cruisers since CG-47 have been named for famous battles with as the only exception. Previously, cruisers were either named for cities (until CG-12), former important navy figures (CG-15 to CG-35), or states (CG-36 to CG-42).
Destroyers are multi-mission medium surface ships capable of sustained performance in anti-air, anti-submarine, anti-ship, and offensive strike operations. Like cruisers, the guided missile destroyers of the Navy are primarily focused on surface strikes using Tomahawk missiles and fleet defense through Aegis and the Standard missile. Destroyers additionally specialize in anti-submarine warfare and are equipped with VLA rockets and LAMPS Mk III Sea Hawk helicopters to deal with underwater threats. When deployed with a carrier strike group or expeditionary strike group, destroyers and their fellow Aegis-equipped cruisers are primarily tasked with defending the fleet while providing secondary strike capabilities. Destroyers have been named for important navy personnel and heroes since the .
Modern U.S. frigates mainly perform undersea warfare for carrier strike groups and amphibious expeditionary groups and provide armed escort for supply convoys and merchant shipping. They are designed to protect friendly ships against hostile submarines in low to medium threat environments using torpedoes and LAMPS helicopters. Independently, frigates are able to conduct counterdrug missions and other maritime interception operations. The U.S. Navy expects to retire its current class of frigates by 2020. As in the case of destroyers, frigates are named after naval heroes.
All U.S. battleships have been decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. Designed to engage other capital ships in open sea warfare, battleships were the Navy's largest and most important vessels until the mid-20th century. The rise of aircraft carriers in World War II led to the declining importance of battleships and the Navy relegated them to the roles of fire support and escort. Following a long period of inactivity, the Iowa-class battleships were recommissioned in the 1980s to augment the Navy's size and were upgraded with Tomahawk cruise missile capability. They were decommissioned for the final time in the early 1990s due in part to their high maintenance costs and the Cold War's end. All battleships except were named for states.
The primary missions of submarines in the U.S. Navy are peacetime engagement, surveillance and intelligence, special operations, precision strikes, battlegroup operations, and denial of the seas. The U.S. Navy operates two types: ballistic submarines and attack submarines. Ballistic submarines have only one mission: to carry and launch the nuclear Trident missile. Attack submarines have several tactical missions, including sinking ships and subs, launching cruise missiles, gathering intelligence, and assisting in special operations. Sea attack submarines are typically named for cities while land attack submarines (Virginia- and converted Ohio-class boats) are typically named for states. Earlier attack submarines were named for "denizens of the deep", while earlier ballistic missile submarines were named for "famous Americans" (although many of them were actually foreigners).
The U.S. Navy has operated a number of vessels important to both United States and world naval history:
Carrier-based aircraft are able to strike air, sea, and land targets far from a carrier strike group while protecting friendly forces from enemy aircraft, ships, and submarines. In peacetime, aircraft's ability to project the threat of sustained attack from a mobile platform on the seas gives United States leaders significant diplomatic and crisis-management options. Aircraft additionally provide logistics support to maintain the Navy's readiness and, through helicopters, supply platforms with which to conduct search and rescue, special operations, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and anti-surface warfare (ASuW).
The U.S. Navy began to research the use of aircraft at sea in the 1910s and commissioned its first aircraft carrier, USS Langley, in 1922. United States naval aviation fully came of age in World War II, when it became clear following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea, and the Battle of Midway that aircraft carriers and the planes that they carried had replaced the battleship as the greatest weapon on the seas. Navy aircraft also played a significant role in conflicts during the following Cold War years, with the F-4 Phantom II and the F-14 Tomcat becoming military icons of the era. The Navy's current primary fighter and attack airplanes are the multi-mission F/A-18C/D Hornet and its newer cousin, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The F-35 Lightning II is presently under development and is scheduled to replace the C and D versions of the Hornet in 2012.
Naval fixed-wing aircraft employ much of the same weapons as the United States Air Force for both air-to-air and air-to-surface combat. Air engagements are handled by the heat-seeking Sidewinder and the radar guided AMRAAM missiles along with the M61 Vulcan for close range dogfighting. For surface strikes, Navy aircraft utilize a combination of missiles, smart bombs, and dumb bombs. On the list of available missiles are the Maverick, SLAM-ER, and JSOW. Smart bombs include the GPS-guided JDAM and the laser-guided Paveway series. Unguided munitions such as dumb bombs and cluster bombs round out the rest of the weapons deployed by fixed-wing aircraft.
Rotary aircraft weapons revolve around anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and light to medium surface engagements. To combat submarines, helicopters use Mark 46 and Mark 50 torpedoes. Against small watercraft, they utilize Hellfire and Penguin air to surface missiles. Helicopters also employ various types of mounted anti-personnel machine guns, including the M60D, M240, GAU-16/A, and GAU-17/A.
Nuclear weapons in the U.S. Navy arsenal are deployed through ballistic missile submarines and aircraft. The Ohio-class submarine carries the latest iteration of the Trident missile, a three stage, underwater launched, nuclear ICBM with MIRV capability; the current Trident II (D5) version is expected to be in service past 2020. The Navy's other nuclear weapon is the aircraft-deployed B61 nuclear bomb. The B61 is a thermonuclear device that can be dropped by strike aircraft such as the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet at high speed from a large range of altitudes. They can be released through free-fall or parachute and can be set to detonate in the air or on the ground.
The major players in U.S. Navy special operations are the United States Navy SEALs and the Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCCs, pronounced "swicks").
The SEALs derive their name from the environments in and from which they can operate: SEa, Air, and Land. Their distinguishing specialty, however, is maritime operations—striking from and returning to the sea. The SEALs are a flexible group of naval Special Forces who are trained to conduct clandestine warfare, most often in small-unit actions.
SWCCs are trained in small ship and watercraft special operations and often work closely with their SEAL counterparts. Organized into Special Boat Teams, SWCCs have expertise in inserting and extracting SEALs in hostile territory, coastal patrol and surveillance, and boarding and searching vessels.
Although not under the jurisdiction of NSW Command, Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Units often work closely with special operations teams. Trained to be combat-ready and highly mobile, EOD units are entrusted with nullifying hazardous ordnance in a number of different maritime environments. They are also able to conduct underwater anti-mine operations using marine mammals.
NECC consolidates, aligns and integrates diverse expeditionary capabilities and combat support elements to create consistent expeditionary practices, procedures, requirements and logistics in the battle space. NECC's enterprise approach will yield improved efficiencies and effectiveness through economies of scale and common processes.
NECC is a command element and force provider for integrated maritime expeditionary missions. NECC is a core expeditionary force providing effective waterborne and ashore anti-terrorism, force protection, theater security cooperation and engagement, and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief contingencies. Upon request, NECC supplements Coast Guard homeland security requirements while training and equipping forces to support mission requirements.
NECC capabilities include; Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Maritime Expeditionary Security, Riverine, Diving Operations, Naval Construction, Maritime Civil Affairs, Expeditionary Training, Expeditionary Logistics, Expeditionary Intelligence, Combat Camera, Expeditionary Combat Readiness, and Maritime Expeditionary Security.
The Maritime Expeditionary Security Force's (MESF) (formerly known as Naval Coastal Warfare) primary mission is force protection conducted through fleet support with operations around the world. Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection missions include harbor and homeland defense, coastal surveillance, and special missions. Specialized units work together with MESF squadron staffs providing intelligence and communications. MESF units deploy worldwide to detect, deter, and defend an area, unit, or High Value Asset. Recent locations include the United States, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
Two Maritime Expeditionary Security Groups in San Diego and Portsmouth, Va. provide centralized planning, control, training, coordination, equipping, and integration of coastal warfare assets trained to operate in high density, multi-threat environments. Units conduct force protection of strategic shipping and naval vessels operating in the inshore and coastal assets, anchorages and harbors, from bare beach to sophisticated port facilities.
Coastal and harbor defense and protection of naval assets are placed under the jurisdiction of two Naval Coastal Warfare Groups: one for the Pacific Fleet and one for the Atlantic Fleet. Within these groups are Mobile Security Squadrons and Naval Coastal Warfare Squadrons. MSSs deploy Mobile Security Detachments that provide force protection for high value naval targets in ports and harbors where U.S. shore infrastructure is limited or does not exist. Naval Coastal Warfare Squadrons provide surveillance and security in harbors, coasts, and inshore areas. They comprise Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Units (MIUWUs) and Inshore Boat Units (IBUs). MIUWUs are charged with security, observation, and communications support for commanders operating in an inshore/coast environment, including anchorages and harbors. In the same operating environment, IBUs manage water craft for security, interdiction and surveillance.
The current naval jack of the United States is the First Navy Jack, traditionally regarded as having been used during the American Revolutionary War. On May 31, 2002, Secretary of the Navy Gordon England directed all U.S. naval ships to fly the First Navy Jack for the duration of the War on Terrorism. Many ships chose to shift colors later that year on the first anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The previous naval jack was a blue field with 50 white stars, identical to the canton of the ensign (the flag of the United States) both in appearance and size. A jack of similar design was used in 1794, though with 13 stars arranged in a 3–2–3–2–3 pattern. When a ship is moored or anchored, the jack is flown from the bow of the ship while the ensign is flown from the stern. When underway, the ensign is raised on the mainmast. The First Naval Jack, however, has always been flown on the oldest ship in the American fleet, currently the USS Constitution.
Over the course of the Navy's 207-year existence, a distinct jargon has evolved among American sailors and has become a normal part of their everyday speech. Modern Appendix:U.S. Navy slang draws from a number of varied sources. It includes traditional sailing terms, archaic English words, and a plethora of acronyms, joke phrases, crude expressions, and abbreviations that have been created within the past hundred years.
Many past and present United States historical figures have served in the Navy. Notable officers include John Paul Jones, James Lawrence (whose last words "don't give up the ship" are memorialized in Bancroft Hall at the United States Naval Academy), Oliver Hazard Perry, Commodore Matthew Perry (whose Black Ships forced the opening of Japan), and Chester Nimitz, Admiral of the Pacific Fleet in World War II.
A number of presidents served in the Navy before their political careers, including John F. Kennedy (who commanded the famous PT-109), Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush. Both Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt were the Assistant Secretary of the Navy prior to their presidencies. Many members of Congress served in the Navy, most notably U.S. Senators John McCain and John Kerry. Other notable former members of the U.S. Navy include astronauts, entertainers, authors, and professional athletes such as David Robinson and Roger Staubach.


text:
By Marc Strom
When your Friendly Neighborhood Wallcrawler returns to animated television in "Ultimate Spider-Man" April 1 on Disney XD, he'll bring a number of classic Marvel villains with him.
As we countdown to the series premiere inside the Marvel Universe block on Disney XD, we sat down with "Ultimate Spider-Man" Associate Producer Harrison Wilcox to discuss four of the baddies you can expect to see.
|Doctor Octopus of "Ultimate Spider-Man"
"Doctor Octopus is actually the design that we've played with the most," remarks Wilcox. "He's not the fat guy with a bowl cut. Before the series begins, he's suffered a horrific injury and can't use his arms or legs. He's essentially atrophied to the point where his metal arms have to do his work for him. His suit acts as an iron lung, and he can't survive outside of his suit.
"He works for Norman Osborn. He's sort of subservient to Norman, but at the same time has his own agenda. He's more about the science at the beginning of the series, and then as we get further along, the more he interacts with Spider-Man, the more obsessed Ock gets with capturing and eventually attempting to kill him."
|Doctor Doom of "Ultimate Spider-Man"
"Doctor Doom is a little bit different in this series," says Wilcox. "We're earlier in his continuity, if you wanted to compare him to the comics, because he isn't the evil super villain yet. He's a dictator, but he's not living outside the law, he has an embassy in New York, and the first time Spidey and his gang meet him, they've actually gone to Latveria, so they're the aggressors in the situation.
"He's not a magician yet in our series. He's just about the suit and the tech and the Doombots and all the fun of that. But he definitely is the biggest bad in the universe of 'Ultimate Spider-Man.'"
|The Trapster of "Ultimate Spider-Man"
"The Trapster is sort of Spidey's go-to villain for the beginning of the season," reveals Wilcox. "He's not the intelligent inventor from the comic with a bag of tricks. On the show he's all things glue gun. In this series, every time he and Spidey have fought, they make a big mess everywhere, and that's sort of a catalyst for Nick Fury recruiting Spidey."
|Venom of "Ultimate Spider-Man"
"Venom actually has a completely new origin that we think the fans are really going to like in the series," teases Wilcox. "I can't really tell you too much about it without spoiling, but the symbiote has a link to Oscorp."
"There's an evolution to the suit in our series. It starts out in a more as a goo form, and then it becomes closer to the actual suit and continues to evolve further into something kind of frightening."

subset: commoncrawl


text: North Branch Area Hockey Association's B1 Pee Wee took second place in the District 10 tournament. The team landed in the championship after defeating Spring Lake Park, 4-3, and Elk River, 7-0. In the final game Feb. 24, they played hard but fell to Champlain Park in the third period. The final sc...Read More


text:
Ben Roethlisberger will miss the first month of the season, maybe more, and here's what we know: Byron Leftwich is his likely replacement and barring a Madduxian effort during training camp, nothing will change. But should it?
Ryan: In general, I'm not one of those guys who thinks a coach should play young guys just to see what they can do. Fans have this discussion anytime it looks like the Steelers will miss the playoffs and they're tired of seeing the same old guys trotting onto the field.
That's not to say I agree with every personnel decision a coach makes (For instance, I have no idea why it took nearly the entire 2003 season for Bill Cowher to realize that DeWayne Washington was a disaster and that Deshea Townsend, well, wasn't; or how last year Mike Tomlin didn't just go with 10 players instead of subjecting us to William Gay), just that I can't get behind the "hey, let's throw the rookie in there since the season's lost!" argument because the NFL isn't Little League.
Despite all that, I'd rather see Dennis Dixon start the season under center. I understand why Byron Leftwich appears to have the gig locked up — the Steelers can tread water for a month until Ben returns, Leftwich had success in the role in 2008, Leftwich has a lot of NFL starting experience, and so on — but here's the thing: assuming Roethlisberger is only out for four games — and if we're being honest, most of us would be content with a 2-2 start — I'm not convinced that Leftwich is better suited to deliver that than Dixon.
Obviously, Leftwich has a larger body of work to look back on and Dixon only has his uneven performance against the Ravens last year. But let's be honest: Leftwich was dreadful virtually every time he saw the field in 2007 and 2009. Granted, he was in Atlanta and Tampa Bay, and only played in six games, but it was still hard to watch.
Yes, he seems more comfortable in Pittsburgh's system (having playmakers around him doesn't hurt), but he's still going to compete a little more than half the passes he attempts, take some sacks, and more than that, take a beating. Dixon's a different kind of player — he's more in the Kordell Stewart mold without all the above-the-neck issues — but his style more resembles Roethlisberger's than Leftwich's does. With Byron you know what you're getting. With Dixon, there's a chance the Steelers could get a lot more. That's all I'm saying.
JJ: When the offseason began, the Steelers were clearly in win-now mode. Every move Pittsburgh made (re-upping Casey Hampton, bringing back Larry Foote, signing Antwaan Randle El) was done with the idea of winning a Super Bowl this year. And if that meant sacrificing a little bit of the future, so be it.
But when Roethlisberger went bar-hopping and got suspended, all of that changed. The decision to give away Santonio Holmes made it clear that the Steelers are no longer focused entirely on winning a 2010 Super Bowl — the team was willing to sacrifice some short-term success for the bigger picture. Debate the intelligence of that move if you want, but there's no argument that it will help Pittsburgh win games in 2010. Add in Willie Colon's season-ending injury and the Steelers are no longer in a position to sell out future success for the chance to win a Super Bowl this year.
Unless Roethlisberger gets slapped with another lawsuit, he's the Steelers' quarterback for years to come and nothing Dixon or Leftwich do during the first four (or six) games is going to change that. But if Dixon plays well, he will have a good bit of trade value. If Leftwich plays well, he'll still be a veteran backup quarterback.
In limited action as Michael Vick's backup (161 total passes), Matt Schaub played well enough that the Falcons were able to trade Schaub and a first-round pick to the Texans to trade up two spots in the first round and pick up two second-round picks. Pittsburgh wouldn't be likely to get as much for Dixon, but a solid four-to-six games would make him a valuable trade chip.
OK, I'm sometimes too focused on long-term success. So even if some Steelers fans couldn't care less about whether playing Dixon now will help win more games in 2012, 2013 or beyond, let me point something else out. Unless the Steelers sign Flozell Adams or convince Anthony Munoz to find a time machine (and sign with the Steelers), whoever is starting at quarterback is going to be dodging plenty of pass rushers. Ben Roethlisberger has the ability to sidestep defensive ends with a hip wiggle. Dennis Dixon has the ability to slow down pass rushers with the occassional bootleg or spread option play. Byron Leftwich has a windup that takes slightly longer than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which makes it a lot harder to beat the rush.
I'm not yet convinced that Leftwich will help the Steelers win more games in 2010 than Dixon would, but that's why we have the preseason to watch and argue this for another month and a half.
Adam: If the Steelers were coming into this season expecting to be terrible with no hope of competing for anything, I wouldn't be opposed to Dennis Dixon getting the starts and developing his game for the future (actually, that's probably the exact opposite of Ryan's idea of not just throwing somebody out there for the hell of it because the team stinks).
But that's not what's going on here. This is a team that should — should! — be a contender in the AFC. They're just one year removed from a Super Bowl, and even in a down, disappointing year, still managed to win more games than they lost and outscore their opponents by almost 50 points. Combine that with the fact they put the band back together this offseason and brought in a bunch of free agents (and Bryant McFadden via trade), it's pretty clear this team expects to win. And should win.
With that in mind, those first four games are quite large (I think they'll be fine if they 2-2 or better) and Leftwich, to me, is the best option at this point (this point being: before training camp and the preseason, where a lot can change). In fact, earlier this offseason when all of the Roethlisberger chaos was hitting the fan, I suggested that they should consider trading for Leftwich. He has experience in the system, he's had success in the system, and he's simply a better quarterback than Dixon at this point. I know he struggled in Tampa Bay and Atlanta, but those were two epic disaster situations. He was one of the sacrificial lambs that was taking over in the wake of the Michael Vick saga in Atlanta (and he really only started two games), and Tampa Bay was just a lousy football team.
Without seeing these two guys battle it out in camp, the only advantage I see to Dixon is his mobility, and, truth be told, that could be a plus given the state of the offensive line minus Willie Colon. Still … put me down in the Leftwich corner right now.
Ted: At this juncture, I have to agree with JJ and Ryan, and disagree with Adam's point. Two weeks ago, though, my view was more in-line with Adam and would be again if the Steelers' front office wised up and signed former Cowboys offensive tackle Flozell Adams to a free-agent contract.
Yes, the Steelers' brass, players, and fans (including me) expected this to be a contending team, particularly after a stronger-than-normal effort in free agency and the hopeful return to health of defensive superstar Troy Polamalu, whose presence last season would have undoubtedly resulted in Pittsburgh being a playoff team and a legitimate threat to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
However, that was all before the suspension of Roethlisberger for 4-6 games (a timeframe where he cannot even practice with the team), coinciding with the moronic, free give-away of Pittsburgh's top offensive playmaker – Santonio Holmes – to the Jets for virtually nothing in return. Those two disasters dropped the Steelers from one of the better teams in the NFL to one just hoping to sneak into the playoffs in a crowded and improved AFC Conference.
Unfortunately, though, the injury loss of starting right tackle Willie Colon is why few experts will project Pittsburgh to better its 9-7 record from a season ago. Colon was the only Steeler starting offensive lineman last season who was the among the top half of all starters at their respective line position in the league last season, with Steelers' right guard Trai Essek and center Justin Hartwig among the worst of all starting NFL offensive linemen regardless of position. Colon was the star of an offensive line that has been below average for the last 4-5 years. Moreover, unlike receiver where second-year speedster Mike Wallace has a chance to be nearly as good as Holmes, the current candidates to replace Colon are nowhere near starting-caliber tackles in the NFL.
I loved the trade to acquire Leftwich for a seventh-round pick. He knows the Steelers' offensive system, and adds depth, experience, stability and a big arm. If the Steelers had the same starting lineup as last season, with the excpetion of quarterback, then Leftwich should be the opening-day starter. But this now is a much worse and more limited Steeler offense without its top receiver and offensive lineman, in addition to the loss of its superstar quarterback for 4-6 games.
Due to his athleticism, Dennis Dixon can make things happen and keep plays alive. He would give the Steelers a better chance of creating big plays downfield on offense by avoiding sacks. More importantly, his escability would enable slow and aging wide receivers Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El enough time to get open. At this point of his career, Leftwich may be the slowest quarterback in the NFL.
Leftwich is a more sure bet to help the Steelers win at least one of its first four games than the inexperienced Dixon, but starting Dixon is their only chance to win all four and probably their best bet to go 3-1. Finally, starting Dixon early would enable the Steelers to find out if he is a viable, quality No. 2 quarterback for the long-term in Pittsburgh, a potential NFL starter who could fetch a second-round pick in trade value after 2010, or someone who needs to be replaced. Now is a perfect time to find out.
Adam: I like Dixon's ability and potential, but I just don't see him giving the Steelers a better shot at winning more games than Leftwich to start this season. Of course, a lot can change in training camp/preseason. If Dixon goes in and blows the doors off the place and outplays Leftwich, then by all means, start him. Sitting here today, however, I don't see him outplaying Leftwich and winning the job.
I also understand the argument about playing Dixon and developing him as a future No. 2/trade bait (the Matt Schaub example) but I still see this team as a contender needing every game it can get at the start of the season. If Leftwich is the better player (and I think he will be) he has to be the starter.


text:
Warning: Your browser doesn't support all of the features in this Web site. Please view our accessibility page for more details.
The Geography of Agricultural Change – TI 249
Module Code: TI 249
Module Title: The Geography of Agricultural Change
Module Weighting: 5 ECTS Credits
Semester: Two – Wednesday 3-4 and 5-6
Lecturer: Maura Farrell and Joanne Brannigan
Location: Room 216
Office Hours: To Be Arranged
Contact: Maura Farrell - Room 103
Email: maura.farrellnuigalway.ie
Course Description:
This course evolves from the appreciation that agricultural geography has long been a significant element of the geographical discipline and been the subject of many textbooks and journal articles. These mirror the fundamental methodology of the time, and have therefore progressed from a regional emphasis in the first half of the twentieth century towards more efficient approaches, drawing initially upon simple economic and behavioural theories. This course aims to explore some traditional subject matter, such as the factors of agricultural production and classification of agricultural systems, but deliberately emphasising topics reflecting globalisation processes, the integration of agriculture in the wider food system, the concern with attaining sustainable systems and the importance of government and supra-government policy. Although including many examples from the Developed World, agriculture issues affecting the Developing World are not disregard.
One of the central themes to emerge from this course will be the fundamental changes to Western agricultural regimes in the last three decades and how this has led to increased debates in the theoretical conceptualisations of agricultural change. One of the most compelling theoretical models to emerge in recent years has been the productivist/post productivist/multifunctionality model, which delineates the transition of agricultural regimes from productivism or intensive agriculture to post-productivism or extensive agriculture and in turn to a multifunctional agriculture regime.
Aims and Objectives include:
To provide students with a historical, theoretical and practical understanding of agricultural development and practices.
To explore the fundamental change in agriculture in recent decades, and to investigate the current position of major stakeholders.
To give students an insight into the changing nature of agriculture and rural spaces and illustrate how Europe is moving away from agriculture modernisation and towards a more comprehensive rural development perspective.
To develop students' knowledge and understanding of the policy and practice of European and Irish agriculture.
Method of Assessment:
The assessment for this course will take three forms: Examination; Individual Essay and a group report
Examination – Two hour exam – Answer Two Questions (60%)
Essay – Individual – Approximately 2000 words – (30%)
A group assignment – (10%)
Suggested readings:
Students will be provided with specific relevant references for different sections of the course as the course progresses.
More general references include:
Robinson, G. (2004). Geographies of Agriculture. Globalisation, Restructuring and Sustainability. UK: Pearson Education Ltd.
Commins, P., Lafferty S., Walsh J., (1999). A Census Atlas of Irish Agriculture. Teagasc Publication, Ireland.
Wilson, G.A. (2001). From productivism to post-productivism and back again? Exploring the (un)changed natural and mental landscapes of European agriculture, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 26(1) 77–102.
Ilbery, B., and Bowler, I. (1998). From agricultural productivism to post-productivism. In Ilbery, B. (Ed) The Geography of Rural Change. UK: Addison Wesley Longman Limited (pp. 57-84).


text:
|Michael F. Easley
North Carolina
For Release: IMMEDIATE
|Contact: Debbie Crane
Heat Wave Emergency Department Monitoring Yields Surprising Results
State to Modify Heat Warnings
RALEIGH – The recent heat wave gave North Carolina public health officials their first opportunity to use a new monitoring tool to track heat-related visits to hospital emergency departments. What they found will lead them to modify their warnings during future heat waves.
The North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool (NC-DETECT) tracks emergency department patient visits and Carolina Poison Control Center calls to monitor public health and environmental health threats. Although it is usually used to track communicable disease, it can be programmed to also look for symptoms of other kinds of illness, including heat-related illness.
The summer's first heat wave started on Aug, 4 and ran through Aug.10. NC-DETECT found that an average of 84 heat-related emergency department visits per day was recorded during that time period, compared to an average of 12 per day during the months prior to the heat wave. The peak occurred on Aug. 9, when 150 visits occurred.
NC-DETECT confirms what public health officials thought would happen during a heat wave – that heat related emergency department visits would increase. But, the surveillance system also provided some surprising results. Although the state issues heat-related warnings prior to and during heat waves, they usually focus on the very young and the very old. The NC-DETECT surveillance found that 15 -19 year olds and 25 – 44 year olds had the highest rate of heat-related emergency department visits during the recent heat wave. Although NC-DETECT doesn't capture the activity that may have resulted in overheating, public health officials suspect that – given the ages involved – the overheating probably occurred as a result of exertion during outdoors work or exercise.
"We need to talk to those people in our warnings and tell them that they can become sick as a result of excessive heat," said State Health Director Dr. Leah Devlin. "In particular, they need to watch their exertion level and remain hydrated. In the future, we'll be talking to those people as well as the frail elderly and folks who care for the very young. Without NC-DETECT, we would not know just how much risk they face."
NC-DETECT monitors 104 of the state's 111 24/7 emergency departments.
NC-DETECT was developed by the Division of Public Health, in partnership
with the UNC School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine and
the NC Hospital Association, as an early warning surveillance system
to detect severe illness that would send people to the hospital. Originally
intended to detect bioterrorism events, the system is able to alert
health officials regarding any potential widespread health event.
|Public Affairs Office
101 Blair Drive, Raleigh, NC 27603
|Debbie Crane


text:
In Andrew Niccol's film, Gattaca, Vincent (Ethan Hawke) faces the trials and tribulations of life as a naturally-born "In-Valid" in a world of nearly perfect, test tube-generated people.
Because of genetic testing as an infant, his life — including his social class and potential career path — are predetermined. Future illnesses are predicted and mental shortcomings brought to light — even before he leaves the maternity ward. But, traits are not absolute.
Vincent dreams of becoming an astronaut and traveling to the planets. In order to reach the potential he knows he possesses, he infiltrates the elite, "valid" society by acquiring a "borrowed ladder"; he assumes the identity of Jerome (Jude Law), an injured genetically-superior aristocrat.
This identity theft grants him access to the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation — a cold world of intellectual and physical challenge in which Vincent must fight to remain, while consistently maintaining his façade.
This proves more difficult than anticipated when a murder occurs. Now the police must thoroughly investigate Gattaca. Circumstances are complicated more when Vincent falls in love with another astronaut candidate — coping with problems of possible genetic flaws in her own "perfection".
What I like the most about this movie lies not in the acting or the special effects, but in the simple idea behind the story — we have the power to control our own future. We're already entering an era where we can genetically enhance our offspring to create superior beings. But as the film's tagline says, "there is no gene for the human spirit".
Who we will ultimately become is not written in our DNA. We can find out who we really are. But is the knowledge of when you'll die, or which is the most compatible mate really something to seek? Maybe knowing would be our downfall. Maybe there are some things that should remain untouched. But for now we can can wait and see how things work out once we have access to such knowledge.
Besides providing a creative view of the future, this film captures the imagination of those who dare to discover, believe, and create. A future where our genes reveal who we are and what we can be can make the possibilities endless and even guarantee lifelong success and perfection. At the film's conclusion, Vincent reflects:
"For someone who was never meant for this world, I must confess I'm suddenly having a hard time leaving it. Of course, they say every atom in our bodies was once part of a star. Maybe I'm not leaving… maybe I'm going home."


text:
Alumni News and Publications
Keep up-to-date with the latest news from the Alumni Network
City Alumni Blog
Our blog section features the latest news and stories from the Alumni Network and also relevant updates from across the University. We welcome all your comments on the stories featured in our blog.
To read more about your School, please visit our blog:
- Cass Business School
- The City Law School
- School of Arts & Social Sciences
- School of Health Sciences
- School of Mathematics, Computer Science & Engineering
City Alumni E-bulletin
Get the latest news from City Alumni directly to your inbox. We currently send a bi-monthly events bulletin and a bi-monthly news bulletin. All alumni for whom we have an email address will receive the e-bulletin. To join our mailing list, please visit the Alumni Online Community.
We like to keep you informed of your University's development and successes, fellow alumni achievements and ventures, and what is available to you as a City graduate.
Occasionally we also send email alerts telling you more about: international events, new programmes at City, career opportunities and information we think it might be relevant to you.
City Magazine
City Magazine is the official publication for our alumni and friends. The magazine is produced once a year by the Development and Alumni Relations team.
Read the latest version of City Magazine, which includes: a featured article about food policy, inspiring projects made possible by the generosity of City alumni, City's Professional Mentoring Scheme through the eyes of four of its stars and much more.


text:
FROM ABC7'S BRIAN van de GRAAFF
Clouds will be on the increase today but it will be mild….
Clouds will continue to increase today, but it will be the warmest day until early next week. Temperatures will skyrocket into the 50s with a few rain showers ahead of the front late in the afternoon. The front moves through as a low pressure develops along its southern flank on the Carolina Coast and tracks north and east. A period of wet snow possible late tonight/early Saturday east of the Blue Ridge and could put down a coating to an inch, mainly on grassy areas! Gusty winds too will build in during the afternoon Saturday and stay through Sunday. High pressure brings a return to more tolerable weather Monday before another weather system approaches… this one from the west, bringing the threat of rain by Tuesday. Have a great weekend.
TODAY: AM Sun, Increasing Clouds, PM Rain Showers
Highs: Mid 50s
Wind: SW to NW 5-10
OVERNIGHT: Rain to Snow Showers (Trace to 1") Especially North
Highs: 29°-35°
Wind: North 5-10 mph
TOMORROW: Mix Clouds and Sun, Breezy & Much Colder, Passing Snow Shower/Flurries
Highs: 37°-41°
Wind: NW 10-15 mph
SUNDAY: Partly Cloudy, Breezy & Brisk, Few Flurries or Snow Shower
Highs: Low to Mid 30s
MONDAY: Mostly Sunny, Milder
Highs: Mid 40s
TUESDAY: Mostly Cloudy, Rain Showers Likely
Highs: Near 50°
High/Low Yesterday: 50°/35°
Precipitation: Rain: 0.00"
Normal High/Low: 47°/31°
Record High/Low: 77° (1949) / -6° (1899)°
Today's Forecast
FROM ABC7'S BRIAN van de GRAAFF


text:
(Well I can honestly say this hasn't happened before. We had a wonderful day at the FDL Book Salon yesterday with John Dean, in which he took the time to methodically go through and try to answer everyone's questions. Of course he could only get so far given the time limitation and the number of people anxious to chat with him, but today he emailed me another installment of answers. If you didn't get the chance to visit the comment section from yesterday's thread it's right here, and it continues now — JH)
Comments by John Dean:
At 107: David, you and I may only be separated by our analogies. When you we could only be a generation away from fascism it is not much different from my saying we have not gotten on the bus yet. (Needless to say, we hope the next generation does not travel that road – or get on the bus.)
At 108: "Given Dick Cheney's penchant for expanded presidential power, why, in your opinion, has he never run for president?" Response: He has and could not get his campaign off the ground.
At 113: "But, something I've been thinking about for a few days is that the Framers themselves, at the time both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were adopted, had terrorists on their very doorstep! I refer to the American Indians. Families anywhere near the frontier daily faced the possibility of what Publius called "depredations" by "savages," (Fed. #24) and we would call a terrorist attack." Response: That is a really good point, Stuart Eugene Thiel!
At 119: "My question would be a variation of TRex, in that the pushback will come but is there a historical trend to look for as the act of pushing back once Dems regain a balance in Congress. In other words, who will these figures and their attacks morph into?" Response: The best thing that could happen would be a repeat of what occurred in 1925 following the Scopes Trial, when the fundamentalist simply withdrew from the public square. They would be happier if they did just that, and the political system would work better if they did not insist on mixing their religion with politics.
At 120: "How much of what is being discussed is a direct product of 9/11? . . . In other words, has this been a steady arc since Goldwater's defeat, or an unpleasant but relatively recent shift (possibly beginning at the end of the Cold War)?" Response: As I explain in some detail in CWC, there has been a progression that proceeded 9/11, and 9/11 added to the legitimacy of conservative authoritarianism.
At 123: "Mr. Dean – do you believe there are enough new media outlets to counter the mind numbing propaganda they are spewing and will flood our airwaves with in the next 2 months?" Response: It is going to get very negative, for this (along with their carefully redrawn district lines for House seats, the get-out-the-vote army being mobilized by the RNC and the religious right organizations, and their money) is their only hope. Most House of the contested races it appears that the GOP candidate has substantially more money than his/her opponent, and they will spend it on negative ads. The growing equalizer – which we must all watch to see what works – is the Internet.
At 124: "I doubt that Bush/Cheney Team has done a serious risk assessment of anything…" Response: With all due respect, you are wrong. This sort of work is s.o.p. at DOD, OMB, and throughout the executive branch. I have seen conservative think tank studies which have not been publicly released making such assessments (although this information may well be publicly available now, for I have not looked). The problem is that this information is pushed aside or trumped by political judgments being made at the top. Cheney and Rumsfeld believe they know best, and the president doesn't know what to think (and he sure as hell is not going to read risk assessments made by some mid-level bureaucrat.)
At 126: "Would you care to comment on possible impeachment hearings for any reason in connection with any actions or decisions that President Bush may have taken?" Response: I have little doubt that if the Democrats take control of the House that the Judiciary Committee under John Conyers will open an impeachment inquiry. It is not, however, realistic to believe that 2/3rds of the U.S. Senate would ever vote to remove this president, vice president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, or attorney general – regardless of what evidence the House might uncover. Impeachment is a purely political undertaking, and while a simple majority of the House can impeach, it takes a super-majority in the Senate that does not exist. But if the House did uncover unusually damning evidence – beyond the damning evidence already well known – it could make life very difficult for GOP Senators.
At 128: Thank you, Joe Wilson, for your kind words. I wish you well with your civil lawsuit. (Be patient, they take a very very long time.) I also look forward to your wife's book, for all we really know about her is that she is beautiful, and she can handle young twin boys — and an AK-47 as well.
At 129: "One of the most interesting premises that you offer in the book is about Dick Cheney rising to the level of his incompetence. I don't know that I have heard, seen or read anything anywhere else that talks about that. It was stunning to me." Response: I don't use the word "incompetence" rather I call attention to his consistent bad judgment from the beginning of his career to the present. Incompetence connotes to me lacking skills or the wherewithal to do a job, and that is not the case with Cheney. He is extremely competent (i.e., able, smart, savvy, experienced, knowledgeable, etc.) but he has terrible judgment (by which I mean the ability to make a sound decision or even a reliable guesstimate based on the information he is given.) This is not my opinion, rather it is based on a review of the facts relating to his career. I assume that his biographer(s) one day will be struck with the same things I have noticed in looking at his record.
At 144: "Now that your latest book is finished do you have a Web site, or any plans on starting a blog and joining us in the blogoverse to continue the much needed thorough dialog on these important subjects as they continue to unfold?" Response: I do not have a website, because I have not had time. I have been writing online for FindLaw for almost six years (which is from the pre-blogosphere era), and plan to continue doing so. Those columns, which run 1500 to 2000 words, take varying degrees of time to prepare, and often relate to subjects incidentally related to a book I may be working on. My publisher (Viking, which is part of the Penguin Group) liked my proposal so well that they asked me to turn in the manuscript next spring. (I think it bad taste, if not unwise, to discuss a non-fiction political book that is still a work-in-progress, so I will say no more, other than it will be my 8th book, and they don't get easier as you progress, but one does gain confidence in proceeding.)
At 145: "Kinda wild-hare idea, but how 'bout delivering a copy of CWC to every sitting and incoming Democrat after the November elections." Response: I would be delighted to sign them and get a discount from my publisher (they do give authors a discount on their own books but I still have to purchase them) if someone wishes to organize such an undertaking. But the people who need to read this book as well are the GOP members – not that it will likely change the mind of any who survive the '06 election.
At 151: "I don't understand why they [the Democrats] don't fight back harder?" Response: Many Democrats fought hard in 2004 to get voters to the polls, to become aware of the issues, etc. – and they are doing the same now. The problem relates back many years when Democrats became complacent and woke up one day to discover conservative Republicans had taken control of the GOP, that conservatives had left the ranks of the Democratic Party, and they no longer had political control or party dominance. It appears to this observer that Democrats are acutely aware of their problems, and we will all be better able to assess how they are dealing with them in a few months.
At 185: In Glenn's initial review of your book he said: A healthy skepticism is warranted with regard to the ability of social science data to reveal truths about political movements. His sentiment seemed to echo the "hard science – soft science" debate. My impression from your book was that the synthesis of the scholarship, soft science though it be, coupled with your singular personal experience constituted a case where the whole far exceeded the sum of the parts. It seemed to me that the work of Altemeyer helped you see the extent and truth of your experiences. Was Glenn a little too quick to skepticism about the social science in his review? Response: Nice question. I worried about the very point that Glenn made, and spoke with several other social scientists about taking the work done by Bob Altemeyer and others and relating it to various political players. All assured me this could be done, and that I was in a somewhat unique position to do it. I discovered the eminent social scientist Alan Wolfe, writing in the Chronicle of Higher Education, doing exactly what I was doing as I worked on my book. He suggested using the Adorno et al work The Authoritarian Personality, apparently unaware that the science had moved well beyond that work. So Glenn is correct in calling for caution, and hopefully I employed it. (The book was published on July 11, 2006 and so far not one of the conservatives I have described as an authoritarian has objected to my analysis of them.)
At 201: "Do you feel she [Hillary Clinton] has any of those [Goldwater] principals breathing in her yet? Or have they been triangularized to death a la Clinton?" Response: When working on CWC I went over to Phoenix to visit the Goldwater papers (as I mention in the book), and discovered to my surprise that Senator Goldwater and the Clintons had become good friends. It appears the friendship started when Senator Goldwater blasted conservatives for taking cheap shots at President Clinton, and his early policies. Senator Goldwater publicly opposed these efforts to destroy the Clinton Presidency with endless and senseless investigations. Apparently, President Clinton called Senator Goldwater to thank him for his unsolicited defense (or support) and with that call their friendship began. Senator Goldwater took part in a surprise birthday party for Hillary – which Bill arranged because Hillary had been a "Goldwater Girl" in 1964, but had never met the man who had first attracted her into politics. President Clinton was one of the last people to visit with Senator Goldwater when he was in the hospital as his life drew to a close. (It is not easy for Presidents to just drop by like that but Clinton went out of his way to say goodbye to a man he clearly held in high esteem.) More recently, Hillary participated in a documentary on Senator Goldwater that will be shown on HBO in mid-September. (Yours truly took part as well.) Finally, let me tell you what the Senator told me about Hillary Clinton: "She's a great lady, I truly admire her." To which he added, never thinking she would become a U.S. Senator: "He's lucky [referring to President Clinton] that she didn't run for office before he did, because she could have made it to the White House on her own." In short, there is no doubt in my mind that Senator Goldwater thought Hillary Clinton was presidential timber.


text:
Ask TOH users about Home Office
When I'm home and not working, I hate to see stacks of unpaid bills, my computer, boxes of receipts for taxes, etc. That's why I love this area. Behind all that beautiful woodwork is a fully functioning home office. There's a Mac with speakers, a roll-out drawer for your keyboard, different slats to organize all your paperwork and drawers for everything you need to store. It's in a warm, sun-filled room with a view of the garden, not a bad place to work—and not ugly to look at when you don't have to work.
—Amy Rosenfeld, Design Director


text:
Philips Advance low-profile Centium T8 ballasts for standard and energy saving lamps are an optimal choice for a broad range of new construction and retrofit applications within the commercial sector including general office lighting and board room applications. The Advance ICN-1P32-N-35I electronic fluorescent ballast operates (1) F32T8 lamp at 120/277 input volts.
Reliable and energy-efficient, Advance's broad line of Centium high frequency electronic ballasts for T5, T8 and T12 fluorescent lamps offers all of the energy-saving properties of Advance's standard electronic line plus the added benefits of extended life and small can size options for enhanced flexibility and versatility.
Centium is ideal for general office lighting, conference, meeting, and board room applications, indirect and decorative lighting, and new fixture design.


text:
Category Archives: stereotype
Racism I Found Today: Non-Black Version of "The Talk"
I'm late hearing about this terrible and blatantly racist article. It's written as a response to recent articles about "the talk" that black parents have with their kids, especially Black Boys, in light of the Trayvon Martin murder. Clutch summed it up … Continue reading
Filed under african american, black, culture, hate, news, opinion, race, racism, society, stereotype, white folks
No Question: This Nivea ad is racially insensitive (update: they apologized)
The black blogs are a buzz about this ad. Um…so a black man's uncivilized self = Questlove. AKA. a guy with a big afro and facial hair? Really, Nivea? I read about this on Tumblr and was cracking up at … Continue reading
Filed under african american, black man, black men, celebrity, culture, race, racism, stereotype
Django Unchained: I'm not interested in any movie where black women are repeatedly raped
I don't know about you, but a movie featuring mildly thought out black female slave characters who are repeatedly raped at a club for white slave owners is not my idea of a great film. I don't want to see … Continue reading
Filed under african american, black history, black men, black women, celebrity, drama, media, n-word, news, opinion, race, racism, rape, sex, slavery, stereotype, women
Ninja, Pleassse! You sho is crazy, Ninja!
Black people, I have to say that I found this "Ninja, Say What?" video to be very informative. As I watched it I said to myself, mmm…Black folk must really, really sound crazy sometimes depending on who is listening in … Continue reading
Filed under art, culture, funny, n-word, race, society, stereotype, video, youtube
Freaknik the Musical: May Have Set Blacks Back a Step or Two
I can sum it up in 2 words: Neo-Coonery Foolishness. I want the 30 min or so that I watched "Freaknik the Musical" back. I think my credit score is actually lower this morning because I watched that mess. That … Continue reading
Filed under african american, black, black men, booty, community, culture, ghetto, hip hop, opinion, stereotype
Why I Don't Like Today's Article in the Washington Post Express on Mike Epps
I read the Washington Post Express a lot in the mornings. It's got just the right mix of pithy entertainment and actual journalism. Well, today I was in for a real Post-Racial treat. I don't know who you are, Roxana … Continue reading
Filed under african american, black, black man, culture, d.c., funny, hollywood, opinion, race, stereotype, washington, washington dc
Sunflower: The hoof polishing black centuar from Disney's "Fantasia"
Cracked Magazine put together a list of Disney's 9 most racist characters. Boy Thursday (1948) Uncle Remus in "Song of the South" (1946) The Indians in "Peter Pan" (1953) Sunflower the Centaur in "Fantasia" (1940) The Siamese Twin Gang in … Continue reading
Filed under african american, black, black women, culture, hollywood, media, opinion, race, racism, stereotype, youtube
Lincoln was a Republican and I don't care…
"…my master's gone away!" It just makes me laugh when people post comments on Republican related articles on this blog in an effort to "educate" us about the Republican party's connection to Abraham Lincoln. Newsflash: I'm aware. There is a … Continue reading
Filed under government, opinion, politics, stereotype
Black folk should be given our own holidays like the Jews.
Granted the majority of Black folk in America are Christian so we can't play the religion card but wouldn't it be nice if we could've taken a day off in observance of MJ's death rather than minimizing and maximizing windows … Continue reading
Filed under african american, black, black history, opinion, society, stereotype


text:
Now Playing
Loading streams...
Connect with Us
Podcasts & RSS Feeds
|All Content
|View all podcasts & RSS feeds
NPR Story
A Fine Line When It Comes To SuperPACs
Under current law, candidates' campaigns are not allowed to coordinate with superPACs, although they clearly benefit from their messages. As result, candidates have performed feats of verbal gymnastics in order to talk about them. Host Scott Simon speaks with NPR's Peter Overby about the role of superPACs in the presidential race.


text:
Leonardo DiCaprio goes jetpack sailing in Ibiza
It must be nice to be rich and famous for many reasons, not the least of which is -- jetpack.
Leonardo DiCaprio is vacationing in Ibiza, Spain this week and photographers have snapped the 38-year-old actor sailing over the ocean blue on a water-powered jetpack. See the pictures in the video from Splash Online -- wheeeee!
This comes on the heels of DiCaprio being photographed on the same vacation canoodling with Victoria's Secret's Toni Garnn, a 21-year-old Germany fashion model. The two reportedly met during the 2013 Cannes Film Festival back in May.
What's the line? "That's what I love about these
Photo/Video credit: Splash News


text:
Gurbaksh Chahal (right) leaves court with attorney Stuart Gordon in San Francisco Patrick Hoge
The UpTake: Gurbaksh "G" Chahal has been fired as CEO of Radium One, the IPO-bound advertising technology company he founded, after an uproar over his conviction on misdemeanor domestic violence charges. Chahal, though, may not go quietly.
Editor's Note: This story combines the reporting of Patrick Hoge of the San Francisco Business Times and Cromwell Schubarth of the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Gurbaksh "G" Chahal refuses to go quietly after being fired from the CEO post at RadiumOne, the IPO-bound ad-tech firm he founded. The board dismissed the flamboyant serial entrepreneur this weekend, after an uproar over his conviction on two misdemeanor charges for domestic violence. Since then, Chahal has taken to the blogosphere to defend himself and accuse the board of throwing him under the bus.
"At a board meeting yesterday evening, RadiumOne's board of directors voted to terminate the employment of Gurbaksh Chahal as CEO and Chairman of the company," the company said in a public statement Sunday morning.
Bill Lonergan, the company COO, was appointed to take over as RadiumOne's CEO immediately. Lonergan did not return a call for comment.
Chahan, in a blog post Sunday night, claims that he "took one for the team" by pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges in what police said was a brutal attack on a girlfriend last August, yet the board betrayed him and demanded he resign.
"Is this what real entrepreneurism is about? Is this what venture capitalism is about?" he wrote. "Not to forget, in my last startup I made these same individuals over 800 percent on their investment? Whatever happened to real ethics? What happened to integrity? Whatever happened (to) supporting your CEO during the tough times knowing the truth? Or is just a fabrication of today's society of greed at all costs (sic)."
It was an ignominious development in the sensational career of a man who immigrated to San Jose, California, from India as a child, dropped out of high school and founded three ad tech companies, including two that sold for a combined $340 million. A relentless self-promoter who idealizes the virtues of entrepreneurship across various media platforms, Chahal became a celebrity of sorts, writing a book called The Dream about his success, appearing on the television shows Secret Millionaire and the Oprah Winfrey Show, and having his photograph taken with President Barack Obama.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
Sign up to receive Upstart Business Journal's free daily email newsletter, weekend edition and breaking news alerts.


text:
ZeroC is pleased to announce that the Chinese translation of the Ice manual "Distributed Programming with Ice" is complete and available for immediate download. The translation was done by Weida Ma, an experienced middleware specialist, based on version 1.3 of the Ice manual. A translation based on the latest Ice release is forthcoming.
To download the manual, please visit our download page.