From the Los Angeles Times website
The U.S. government is trying to get automakers to move faster to fix 42 million vehicles that are being recalled because of potentially deadly air bag inflators made by Takata.
Expressing renewed concern about the pace of the recall, which is the largest ever for the U.S. auto industry, officials from the National Highway Safety Administration released a schedule on Friday for further recalls and said it would require all 19 companies involved to submit plans to reach more owners.
Thanks to Gordon Lau sent in this link to the Military Times website
Need medical attention? You might be able to do some grocery shopping while you’re there, if the Navy’s planned test of putting medical clinics in some commissaries is successful.
The test, which will take place in the Jacksonville, Florida, area, is in the planning phase. The clinics will be run by Navy corpsmen, said Vice Adm. Forrest Faison III, the Navy surgeon general, during a Dec.1 session at the conference of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, held just outside Washington, D.C.
From the Military.com website
The U.S. Supreme Court will consider a case next year that could change the amount disabled military retirees must pay a former spouse after a divorce.
The case, Howell v. Howell, centers on an Arizona Air Force couple who divorced in 1991. At the time of the divorce, John Howell’s upcoming pension was considered a “marital asset” under a federal law known as the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act (USFSPA), and split 50-50 with his former spouse, Sandra.
A rule change at the Veterans Affairs Department will allow veterans to apply for burial in national cemeteries before their death, rather than requiring family members to apply on their behalf after it.
Veteran burial benefits previously were approved at the “time of need.” For families, that meant waiting until after the veteran died to apply for the benefits via fax or email by sending in a copy of the veteran’s DD-214 or separation documents and then following up by phone.
From a Department of Defense press release
Ft. Ruger, Hawaii – Memorial services have been set for a Hawaii Air National Guard (HIANG) Airman who went missing at Tarague Beach, Guam, last month.
Master Sgt. Greg Ramos from the 154th Logistics Readiness Squadron, 154th Wing, was temporarily assigned to Andersen Air Force Base, supporting a HIANG KC-135 tanker rotation when he was swept out to sea, November 21.
Service information:
When: Saturday, December 17
Where: Inspire Church in Mililani (95-061 Waimakua Drive).
Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. to 10:15.
The memorial service will begin at 10:30 a.m.
Suggested attire is service dress uniform for military personnel and Aloha attire for civilians. The family has requested that no flowers be brought.
Related:
Search called off for missing Hawaii Air National Guardsman
Forget divorce or the dissolution of a business partnership. In 2017, your most unpredictable, time-consuming and financially perilous breakup may be with your old phone number.
Surrendering your digits can be more problematic than losing your phone. On most smartphones, a quick security wipe can remove all personal data — and it can even be done remotely if your phone is lost or stolen. But give up your phone number and the burden is on you to find every business, person and entity that links that number to your life — your finances, medical records, email or social media accounts, business contacts, and much more — and remove it at each place.
National Guard and Reserve members would receive the same death benefits as their active-duty counterparts under a bill expected to pass Congress this week.
As it stands now, family members of Guardsmen and Reservists killed during inactive training receive a much smaller monthly payment than those of active-duty members. For example, a survivor receives $1,036 a month if the spouse was killed on inactive training status, yet another receives $3,381 if the spouse was killed on active duty, according to a fact sheet from the Defense Department.
From the Samantha Brown website
United States passport experienced a sort of baby boom in 2007.
This was the year the government launched Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Prior to that, Americans could travel to all sorts of places (largely Canada and Mexico), sans passport. Today, you most definitely need that navy blue booklet to cross the border.
So, why am I bringing this up in 2016?
Well, it’s because we’re nearly at the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative’s decade anniversary. And that means a lot of people will soon hold expired passports. I recently spoke to Brenda Saunders Sprague, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Passport Services Bureau of Consular Affairs, about what this will mean for travelers.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Start the Process Early
According to Sprague, it’s starting to take a lot longer to get that passport renewed. The Passport Bureau of Consular Affairs are expecting 17 million applications this year, and 20 million next. While they’ve done everything they can to expedite the process, there’s not much they can do about the backlog. “As I like to say, you can’t build a church for Easter Sunday,” says Sprague. “So we’re going to be slow. It’s going to take longer. We’re pushing people to apply early.”
2. Renew Your Passport When It’s 9 Years Old.
Did you know that most countries require your passport to be valid for six months following your incoming flight? That means that even though your passport may technically not be expired for the duration of your trip, you could still not be allowed to leave the country.
“The six-month validity has been a nightmare for many, many travelers,” says Sprague. “Every Monday morning, we see all these very sad travelers who missed the first weekend of their trip because they didn’t have the six-month validity. It’s our number one talking point: look at your expiration date. When you get to year nine, it’s time to get a new one.”
3. Renew your passport, even if you don’t plan to travel.
You never know when you might need to fly to another country at the drop of a hat. Some examples: a family member is traveling internationally and falls ill; or your kid is studying abroad and needs help. You can’t predict emergencies, and figuring out how to get a valid passport into your hands is the last thing you want to be dealing with in a scary situation. It’s always good to just know you have it.
Also, a passport is an official proof of citizenship, and a great backup should you ever lose your driver’s license.
Colonel John Glenn, USMC Retired, Astronaut, United States Senator
The first American to orbit the Earth has died. John Glenn was the last surviving member of the original Mercury astronauts. He would later have a long political career as a U.S. senator, but that didn’t stop his pioneering ways.
Glenn made history a second time in 1998, when he flew aboard the shuttle Discovery to become the oldest person to fly in space.
Glenn was 95 when he died; he had been hospitalized in an Ohio State University medical center in Columbus since last week.
Related:
This Day in Aviation article 1
This Day in Aviation article 2
Steve Lum gathered the background information about this event. It was later picked up and posted on the National Guard Memorial Museum site. This is a revised version with new photographs.
click on photograph to enlarge
Hawaii Guardsmen capture prisoner of war number one
By Retired Master Sgt. Stephen M. Lum
It was more than a year since the Hawaii Guard was mobilized (Oct. 15, 1940), as German and Japanese military forces were invading Europe and the Asian-Pacific Theatres. The United States was drawn into World War II with the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Read the entire article here
From the Lonely Planet website
Every year Lonely Planet’s experts scour the States to bring you America’s unmissables. From sweeping mountain ranges, tropical coastline, desertscapes and dazzling cities, these underrated or off-the-radar spots are set to shine in the coming months.
You may have seen the flowing postures and gentle movements of tai chi and wondered what it’s all about. Tai chi is an ancient mind and body practice. While more research is needed, studies suggest that it may have many health benefits.
Tai chi is sometimes referred to as “moving meditation.” There are many types of tai chi. They typically combine slow movements with breathing patterns and mental focus and relaxation. Movements may be done while walking, standing, or sitting.
From the Images of Old Hawaii website
The Aloha Chapter of the Shriners sponsored the Shrine Bowl Classic, pitting Hawai‘i against mainland teams. For the 11th annual Classic, teams in the three-game series included San Jose State College, the University of Hawaii, and Willamette. The game guaranteed a $5,500 payout – enough to cover teams’ travel expenses, plus a small profit for the athletic departments.
The Willamette Bearcats played what was slated as the first in the three-game series. The game started at 2:30 pm December 6; 24,000 had shown up to watch the Shriner’s game, the largest crowd in the stadium’s history. Hawai‘i won 20-6.
The next scheduled games were San Jose vs. Hawai‘i on December 13 and San Jose vs. Willamette on December 16.
Plans changed … on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
Attack on Pearl Harbor – Footage and Aftermath. On 7 December 1941, a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii “awakened the sleeping giant”. Ninety minutes after it began, the attack was over. 2,386 Americans died and 1,139 were wounded. Eighteen ships were sunk or run aground, including five battleships.
Related:
Pearl Harbor: A New Perspective on Smithsonian’s ‘The Lost Tapes’
