Newest Hi-Tech Army Shirt.

The Army’s getting more and more hi-tech.  Here’s the latest uniform development.

May 04, 2007
BY Debi Dawson

The new improved Army combat shirt for women will be issued to Soldiers deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. Photo by U.S. Army

FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Army News Service, May 4, 2007) — The Army Program Executive Office Soldier will soon provide an improved Army combat shirt to Soldiers deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.The flame-resistant long-sleeved shirt, which retains the moisture-wicking capability, breathability, and durability of other components in the ACU, also has many of its other features, including cargo pockets, infrared identification tabs, and hook-and-loop fasteners for the American flag.The new shirt has a foliage green torso and sleeves in the universal camouflage pattern, and sports seamless shoulders and side panels for comfort, along with integrated anti-abrasion elbow pads, and a small Army Strong logo centered on the chest.

The high performance shirt, designed to be a base layer, can be worn directly under the Interceptor Body Armor, according to Maj. Clay Williamson, assistant product manager for clothing and individual equipment.

The ACS is made of an anti-microbial cotton and rayon blend fabric treated with a new process that penetrates to the fiber level. It provides fire-resistance for the life of the garment. “It is completely safe, non-toxic, and allows us to treat fibers that were once not treatable,” Maj. Williamson said.

The shirt integrates with other flame-resistant components, such as the Army combat pants, to provide head-to-toe protection against burns. The Army combat pants are the same as the ACU pants, except they are made of a flame-resistant material, according to the major. Soldiers’ hands are protected by flame-resistant gloves that have been a part of the Army’s Rapid Fielding Initiative.

This ensemble further complements the Army’s system-of-systems approach to force protection, which integrates layers of protection for Soldiers on the battlefield.

“I want to assure the American public, the Soldiers, and their Families that they have the best equipment when and where they need it. If there were something better, we would buy it; and we’re always looking for something better,” said Brig. Gen. R. Mark Brown, Program Executive Officer Soldier.

(Debi Dawson serves with the Program Executive Office Soldier Strategic Communications Office)

Starbucks, they know business.

Starbucks, perhaps the biggest coffee retail chain going is really very shrewd!!!  I love it, they are the pure essence of capitalism, creating a niche, establishing brand identity, knowing their market, capitalizing on trends and above all, making huge buckaroos! But, in order to keep the socialistic, dhimmicrats in line, they maintain this pseudo-liberal image, with non-conservative artists playing over their in store music systems, portraying themselves as earth friendly and non-traditional.  I love their latest gimmick, putting “nice” little,  “The Way I See It” letters on their cups.

Have you heard the latest, though?  Someone decided to quote a Rick Warren, author of A Purpose Driven Life, who said,

The Way I See It #92
“You are not an accident. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He wanted you alive and created you for a purpose. Focusing on yourself will never reveal your purpose. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Only in God do we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny.”– Dr. Rick Warren
Author of The Purpose-Driven Life.

Wow, can you imagine the women who wrote in to protest that?  She was really pissed that such a “religious” idea could ever be published.  So much for freedom of speech, only when it fits their ideologies.

But, anyway, my real point is that Starbucks likes to portray itself as an earth friendly, green company, which really appeals to the Dems.  And it works extremely well to cover the fact that SB is a HUGE corporate entity, the epitome of Big Business.  Here’s some stats from DataMonitor:

Revenue Analysis:

The company recorded revenues of $7,787 million during the fiscal year ended October 2006, an increase of 22.3% over 2005.

Starbucks Corporation generates revenues through three business divisions: US (79.3% of the total revenues during fiscal year 2006), international (16.7%) and global consumer products group (CPG) (3.9%).

Revenues by Division

The US, Starbucks’s largest geographical market, accounted for 79.3% of the total revenues in the fiscal year 2006. Revenues from the US reached $6,178.6 million in 2006, an increase of 15.8% over 2005.

International accounted for 16.7% of the total revenues in the fiscal year 2006. Revenues from ‘international’ reached $1,302.9 million in 2006, an increase of 25.9% over 2005.

The CPG accounted for 3.9% of the total revenues in fiscal 2006. Revenues from CPG reached $305.5 million in 2006. This segment was formed in fiscal 2006

Lastly, SB finds itself in an odd position.  Despite the company’s attempts to portray itself as earth friendly, it has sullied its image, at least in China, where the Forbidden City location is causing protests.  Seems the Chinese find the company culturally insensitive by having an outlet so close to a richly culturally relevent location.

How to lose an Ally

Seems that Nancy Pelosi has once again stirred up a hornets nest.  This time, instead of pandering to the enemy, she’s pissing of our friends.  Seems she has just given the third degree to President Uribe of Colombia, our strongest Latin American ally, potentially damaging a valuable relationship in the face of worsening political turmoil in other South American countries.

Over on RealClearPolitics, Robert Novak, conservative political commentator sums it up here.  I’ve included the first couple paragraphs of his editorial.

May 10, 2007

By Robert Novak

Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe returned to Bogota this week in a state of shock. His three-day visit to Capitol Hill in Washington to win over Democrats in Congress was described by one American supporter as “catastrophic.” Colombian sources said Uribe was stunned by the ferocity of his Democratic opponents, and Vice President Francisco Santos publicly talked about cutting U.S.-Colombian ties.

Uribe got nothing from his meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders. Military aid remains stalled, overall assistance is reduced, and the vital U.S.-Colombian trade bill looks dead. The first Colombian president to crack down on his country’s corrupt army officer hierarchy, and to assault both right-wing paramilitaries and left-wing guerrillas, last week confronted Democrats wedded to out-of-date claims of civil rights abuses and to rigidly protectionist dogma.

Granted, Colombia has some work to do in disbanding paramilitary organizations as shown in this report at International Crisis Group, but we need to work with him, not alienate him.

Colombia’s New Armed Groups

Latin America Report N°20 (click here)
10 May 2007

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The disbanding of the paramilitary United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) between 2003 and 2006 is seen by the administration of President Alvaro Uribe as a vital step toward peace. While taking some 32,000 AUC members out of the conflict has certainly altered the landscape of violence, there is growing evidence that new armed groups are emerging that are more than the simple “criminal gangs” that the government describes. Some of them are increasingly acting as the next generation of paramilitaries, and they require a more urgent and more comprehensive response from the government.