Back from the airshow, it was as always a day well spent.  If you have the chance by all means try out the Virtual Army Experience, very, very cool.  The performances were amazing to watch, ranging from the thunder of modern fighters to a guy landing a 1941 Interstate trainer on top of a winnebago.  No I mean he really did land on top of an RV, a small RV.  Static displays included the usual suspects and a few surprise highlights below. (No Blue Angels pics though, the battery in my digital went tango uniform before they came on.)

 One big surprise this year was large NASA exhibit in one of the hangars.

NASA Homepage

They brought Models and of both the ISS and the Mars Rovers.

This inflateable Orion CM-SM Mockup shows just how large the new CEV is, compared to the Appolo capsules it is like moving from a 1 bedroom efficency apartment into a two bedroom ranch style house.

By far the coolest static display was the new CV-22 Osprey.

More photos below the fold.

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From 1^st Multinational force Iraq

Role model town produces positive results.

Paratroopers capture IED cell leader.

Troops uncover cache, capture 13 suspects.

Iraqi citizens lead soldiers to caches.

Remeber Operational security can save YOUR life!

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    Heading out for the McConnel AFB open house, pictures and more later today.  Until then from the 2002 edition.

Gruman TBF Avenger

Republic P-47N Thunderbolt

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From Reuters via Fox News

SANTA MONICA, Calif. â€”  Sales of Nintendo's quirky Wii video game machine could top the legendary Play Station 2, making it the biggest hit in the industry's history, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said on Thursday.

Nintendo Co. Ltd. sped past Sony Corp. (SNE) in market capitalization last month to become one of the 10 most valuable companies in Japan.

Full Story Here

     Sony just can't seem to get any relief on, well just about any front.  They continue to hemmorage money and the recent price cuts on the PS3 can only make it worse.  Sony took a huge risk when they launched the PS3, knowing that they would be selling the hardware at aloss when they where already in financial ill health.  Nintendo is already turning a profit on Wii hardware, and since it is also consistently outselling the PS3 in the states and Japan Sony's future looks no better than it did prior to the PS3 launch.  PS3 and Blu-Ray were suppoused to be the savior of the company, they have turned out to be yet one more giant albatross around Sony's neck.

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Via 1st Multi National Force Iraq

 Iraqi citizen leads soldiers to cahes in known terrorist safe haven.

 Anti-Terror successes continue despite foriegn born resistance.

 Iraqi warriors take new skills to the streets.

 U.S. Special Forces apprehend high level Al Qeada cell leader.

 Police recruiting drive a major attraction.

 Karkh holds first ever job fair.

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     I find it odd that MSM cannot be roused to report on the plight of people who have been forced from their homes, herded across an international border and told that if they return they will be killed.  Why is that?  Because it doesn't fit their leitmotif of how things are in the middle east.  I cant't tell the story as well these guys so go read it here.

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     What makes something the best?  Is it popularity, profitability, quality, a combination of three?  Something else entirely?  This is one of those vexing subjective questions that can start long and heated debates just about anywhere when people have differing views on just what the best really is.  While some individual discs might be score better in reviews the three above are in competition for what I believe to be the best anime series.  Cowboy Bebop, Fooly Cooly and FullMetal Alchemist, all have strong writing, great animation and awesome music, and perhaps most importantly consistantly high quality writing  There are plenty of shows out there that have stand out episodes or story arcs but very few that manage to be simply great from beginning to end.  

     Each show has a lot make it a contender, and each has its drawbacks that make the debate all that much more interesting.  So let us take a look at the contenders in detail.

Contender #1 Cowboy Bebop.

  This show perhaps more than any pther typifies the growth of anime in the US more than any other, sure Akira was well known but Bebop was the first series to find sucess on tv while being aimed at adults rather than children or tweens.  Possibly the best scripted series ever shown on adult swim it stands out for its writing, pacing and wonderfully constructed plot that allows for every episode help be part of a larger story but still be built around its own unique plot.  No mean feat, this along with music that puts many hollywood movies to shame coupled with nearly flawless animation set in a familiar yet distinctly different world.  The only real downside to Cowboy Bebop is the sparsity of extras and lack of a sound mix higher than dolby 2.0.*

Contender #2 Fooly Cooly.

  Coolest Show Ever.  I don't know what it is but this show is almost without comparison.  It has a plot, but it seems to matter very little.  Moving from parody to humor, to drama and where ever else it feels like going this series does more in six episodes than many do in twenty four or fifty two.  Once more excellent animation and superlative music combine with top notch writing to  create something so much greater than the sum of its parts.  Downsides, none aside form its short length, by episode six you find that it suddenly really is over.

Contender #3 FULLMETAL Alchemist.

  FULLMETAL Alchemist is a show that epitimizes strong writing and character development, and it is a show that is not afraid to take risks like killing off a fan favorite character like Mayes Hughes I still remember seeing that episode for the first time and being shocked and in disbelief, but they had really done it.  With a score that simply leaves one in awe for its musicality and beauty it has most impressive score of any anime ever.  The charcaters are what makes this show, one is able to connect with them on a basic, human level that is very rare in televison or movies.  The story is gripping and exciting, yet able to capture the quiet moments that help gives life to the characters and their world.  FMA's only drawback is that it occassionaly gives in to the needs of its original fifty two week run with a handful of filler episodes that play very well but  leave you wanting to get back to the main plot threads and see them adavnced.

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From MLB.com

      SEATTLE -- Everyone seemed to want Ichiro. In the end, Ichiro wanted Seattle.

       Mariners center fielder Ichiro Suzuki signed a five-year contract extension Friday, ending days of speculation about the seven-time All-Star's future in the Emerald City.

       The deal, announced by the Mariners on Friday afternoon, goes through the 2012 season, although financial details were not disclosed per club policy. The Associated Press reported the deal is worth $90 million.

     This is great news for Seattle, we finally managed to keep a superstar rather than watching him head for greener pastures.  but then again I supposs that the Mariners coporate parent (Nintendo) can afford it right now.  This combined with their wild win last night makes me think that the playoffs are in our future, the immeadate future at that.

Link to the full article here Ichiro Re-signs with Seattle

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     I don't know what it is, but even though I own a couple of automatic pistols there is something that just draws me to revolvers.  Wether it is the simple elegance of their form and function, ruggedness and reliability or just that unidentifiable it that they have.  Some of the wheelguns I own are strictly utilitarian, like my Ruger GP-100, a strong modern design rendered in stainless steel.  But this gun has a different appeal, this Colt Police Positve Special was likely made in the late fifties from a design that dated back to the turn of the century and remained basically unaltered untill it was dropped in the mid seventies.  Made with lots of hand fitting and a fine hand polish this gun marks in many ways the end of an era.  An era when craftsmanship in the builing of revolvers was a necessity.

     While many today lament the end of such attention I certainly don't.  Modern production methods allow for parts to made with tolerances were impossible to conceive of in a era before computers and robotic manufacturing.  Metal alloys are stronger and more durable, coatings and finishes are more restitant to wear, sight are more precise, and reliabillity is at an all time high.  The craftsman maybe gone from the hardfitting* lines of modern gunmakers.  But his passing ushered in era of affordable, reliable and accurate firearms.

Additional photo below the fold.

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From Fox News

     WASHINGTON â€”  U.S. military and diplomatic officials gave the Iraqi government a satisfactory rating on eight of 18 political and security benchmarks, a mixed rating on two and an unsatisfactory rating on eight benchmarks in a White House report prepared for Congress.

     The interim progress report out Thursday — a second one due in September — says progress in Iraq has been good on key security areas such as the deployment of Iraqi forces in Baghdad, the establishment of joint security stations in Baghdad and the increased capability and independence of Iraqi military units as well as a few economic and political matters.

     Unsatisfactory progress was cited in a number of political benchmarks, including the passage of a hydrocarbon law, a debaathification statute and electoral reforms. The report also points out challenges of disarming militias and ensuring full Iraqi government control of security operations in Baghdad neighborhoods.

Read the Full Story Here

Click here to read the report (html)

     Despite what is said elsewhere progress, real measurable progress is being made in Iraq.  The question now is how do we build upon this sucess?  I wish I had the answers, but I don't, that is why we have Generals and they have staffs, to allow them to take all of the available information and make informed judgements.  It must be nice to gain the title of Senator or Representative and suddenly be blessed with the full and complete knowledge of all things.  The biggest battle we face in this war is not on the field of battle but in halls of Congress, for there it seems that no victory, no achievement, no matter how great is enough to prove that we are winning.  The members of congress on both sides of the isle who are screaming for a 'change of strategy' would do well to actually listen and hear what the people on the ground are telling them rather than simply reciting the mantras drummed into their heads by aides and advisors.

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     My 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator. Need I say more?  No I think not.

     The vital statistics

1. Engine: 351 Cleaveland Bored .020 over with Comp Cams Camshaft and timing set, MSD igniton, Edelbrock peroformer Carb and intake, Hooker headers
2. Transmission: C-6 with Shift Kit and Locar Kickdown
3. Rear End: 9 Inch Traction Lock with 3.73:1 gears.
4. Wheels: 14x7 Cragar SS with Knock offs wearing Firestone Firehawk Raised White Letters

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    Seen above is the newest ship being built for the Japanese Navy I mean Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force.  Called simply 16DDH after the year in which she was ordered, the 16th year of the Heisei era, or 2004, she is due to be launched next month.  She is officialy classed as a Helicopter carrying destroyer, hence DDH, DD= Destroyer, H= Helicopter.  The four DDH's the Japanese have now are really just that, destroyers with extended landing areas and hangars for three helicopters.  This yet un-named ship is officaly stated as displacing 13,500 tons, where even large destroyers displace less than 6,000.  Instead of her predicessors three helos she can offically carry four.  Most reasonable estimates are that she will be capable of hosting a mixed helo/VSTOL airgroup of 22 to 28 aircraft.

     Now most of the time a nation bulding a warship is no big deal, except when you have officaly renounced war but are on average number six or seven in world wide defence spending.  The Japanese spend on average just 1% of their GDP on defence compared to the USA's 8 1/2%.  Some of Japan's neighbors have been getting worried that with a ship like this one, and her sister on order signals the rebirth of Japanese militarism.  Nothing could be farther from the truth, the Japanese have recognized that in this day and age they must contribute to the defence of the free world in a manner consumate with their economic and political clout.  To be able to do this you need to be able to project force outwards, and to do that if you are an island nation you need a strong navy with aircraft carriers, but since the Japanese position is that they may not posess offensive weapons you build an offensive platform with a defensive name.

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     As I have said before I am a fan of Anime and Manga, but more than that I am an Otaku, and I am proud to be one.  While some people might associate the term with negative or derogatory meanings or connotative implications, not to me, it simply means that I am a fan, a fan who has seen the ups and downs and stuck with my passion.  I appreciate that bringing new fans to the table is important, and one of my hope for this humble blog is to be an ambassador to the world of the North American Otaku.

 How did, I, a seemingly normal, rational person become an otaku you ask, easy by accident.  In junior high I happened to see a couple of anime videos that my older brother had rented, while he remains a casual fan I got hooked.  The first two anime that I remember seeing all the way through was a subbed VHS of Plastic Little : The Adventures of Captain Tita and a sub of Royal Space Force : Wings of the Honemiese.  While Plastic Little came as a shock to me for its massive fanservice (I had no idea such things could even be done in animation, I truly was an innocent) Royal Space Force was, and remains one of my favorites with its tremendous storytelling, plot and art, it showed that animation could be so much more than Disney-esque animation or thirty minute toy commercials.

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    Manga, I have some, ok  a lot, but its not like I have problem.  I mean I don't keep a hyper detailed list of every volume of it that I own.  I have two such lists, one on my laptop and one on paper.  I know I don't have the most extensive collection in the world but it keeps getting bigger and bigger.  Here is a picture of my Manga bookcase,

and another angle for good measure,

At the moment I have 253 volumes of manga, not counting issues of anthologies like Shonen Jump and Comics AG, or the old pamphlet style manga.  Not seen in the photos above are a number of volumes that I have since purcahased and at least one new series I started buying. (Welcome to the N.H.K. which I highly reccomend)  It seems strange now but I can remember when all of my manga didn't even take up a single shelf on a smaller bookcase, now it has begun to migrate to the wall built in, and that is coming perilously close to being filled as well since in houses all of my anime DVDs.

More DVDs and Manga now fill the shelf where the Slave one toy used to be, having finally sold all of my old Star Wars collection recently. 

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     The latest plan for a 'pullout' put forward by the Democrats is clear proof that they are well and truly disconnected from anything resembling reality.  Their plan is to give General Petraeus control over his own force levels. (which as Cinc Cent/ Comander US Third US Army)  he already has, subject, as always to the approval of the President.  Their other claim is that after May 1, 2008 US forces would be limited to Fighting Al Qaida, protecting Americans and Allies in country and training and Supporting the Iraqi Army and Security Forces.  What exactly do they think we have been doing for nearly three years now?

     Welcome to the party gentlemen, now why don't you contribute something useful, like say increased funding for Mine Resistant and Protected Vehicles (MRAP) , or money for needed recapitalization projects for the USAF, USN and USCG?  Dusty Reid and his cohorts are going to be in for some unpleasant news when the report on the troop surge comes in this fall.  I am left bewildered by the incompatence and inability of anyone on the other side of the isle aside from Joe Lieberman to grasp the importance and gravity of the war we ar in, and what the cost of defeat would be. 

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     There are few things that I enjoy more than anime and manga, one of them just happens to be guns.  Yeah I loves me some firepower, and I own quite a bit too.  For now I will avoid the long drawn out political diatribes and just show some glorious American* engineering and know how.

     This particular specimen is an M-1 Garand, or more properly US Rifle, Caliber 30, M-1.  She was made in early 1955 at the Springfield armory in Springfield Mass. and came to me as a USGI service grade from the CMP.

      Follow the link above to learn how to purchase M-1 Garand's, M-1903 Springfields and M-1 Carbines from the CMP.

*And yes I know that John Garand was a canadian.

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      Sometimes,(ie when the mood strikes me,) I will post reviews of anime, manga and other stuff on here.  The following criteria are how I try to judge anime, or any DVD for that matter in a fair and consistent manner.

     When writing a review one must offer both subjective and objective assements of whatever it is that you are reviewing.  So I have worked out for myself a system to do just that.  When posting a review I will follow a standard format that gives a grade for various elements of the work, and along with my opinions about the work to allow for both objective and subjective measures. 

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     Hi, welcome to my first attempt at something resembling a blog.  I hope to use this space to pontificate about things I like, and things I don't.  Namely I want to share my love of anime, manga, fan fiction, classic cars, guns, right wing politics and whatever else should catch my eye.  As for the bit above, yes I am the Raging Tachikoma who publishes stories at FanFiction.net . Over the next couple of weeks I hope to add a fair bit of content here as time allows.  Until then welcome!

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Image Test

Posted by: raging tachikoma at 08:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Oooooh, it works, I think.  And for fun a Zimism "Worse or Better".

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