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Archos G9 Tablets
Guess I will have to upgrade soon....lol
What's Up
Well it has been a while and I have started my new job. Calling it a challenge would be an understatement in a big way. After playing with all the low power stuff in Afghanistan for 3 years and coming here where low power is 100kW, tough to get my head around some of it. But it is coming back and I am making progress. The weather here has been hot a hell but at least it is home.
I still read the news about Afghanistan and am so glad to be out of there. Karzai's brother was killed and then there were people killed at the memorial ceremony for him. It is a viscous cycle there. I do hope it gets better soon for all my friends there.
I still read the news about Afghanistan and am so glad to be out of there. Karzai's brother was killed and then there were people killed at the memorial ceremony for him. It is a viscous cycle there. I do hope it gets better soon for all my friends there.
Home Sweet Home
Well I made it home and have been getting my sleep schedule back. Got the pool all cleaned and cut some trees. The "Honey Do" list is big but not to bad. I got my home office all set up again and am ready to go at it....Later...JB
Farewell Kabul
Today is the day that has taken forever to get here. To my friends I thank you for all the good times. I know we will keep in touch and I wish you the best....Later...JB
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ONE
To Quote an old song "1 is the loneliest number" but not for me. One more day and off on 3 flights back to Dallas. 1 is a great number, Who doesn't want to be number 1? Not that this applies to this case but then there was>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Boxes in Coppell, Tx
Looks like my boxes will arrive before I do. Its like a little bit of me shows up each day. At least part of me is back in Texas. The rest will be there soon....Later...JB
Pool Time
I was looking at the weather and it looks like a weekend in the pool with the dogs to keep cool....Later...JB
TWO Plus 3 = HOME
Two days left in Kabul plus 3 flights that total about 28 hours of flights and waiting in Airports. So TWO Plus 3 = Home and enjoying life....Later...JB
THREE
Three days and I head home. Went out last night with some friends and had a nice dinner and a few too many beers. But was nice to do. Need to get serious and get the rest of my shit crammed into my suitcase. I think Ill start working on that tonight. Also today I went out in the Ministry of Communications monitoring van to drive test a few stations. Hope to get them some training so they can use it more....Later...JB
Fat Mans
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6 Days and a few Hours
After getting caught up with all the morning emails I realized there is only 6 days left here for me. Des and I are going to Fat Mans today for lunch. Fat Mans is a burger joint and inst to bad. Ill try to post pics later if I remember to take some. So excited to be going home and doing things because I can...Later...JB
Police Recruits Impose Tax
A bribe by any other word is still a bribe. Not only do they shake the locals down they do it to the International community as well....Later...JB
Taliban's key commander killed
Another one bites the dust. Love how it reads after he was killed the remaining troops around him put down their weapons....Later...JB
Attacks in Kabul
This is another reason I'm looking forward to getting out. This is a list of attacks in Kabul since i arrived here. Just hope they keep it quiet for another 9 and a half days.
2011
-May 21: Suicide bomber wearing an Afghan soldier uniform slips inside the main military hospital in Kabul and kills six Afghan medical students.
-April 27: Veteran Afghan military pilot opens fire at Kabul airport, killing eight U.S. troops and an American civilian contractor.
-April 18: Suicide attacker sneaks past security at the Afghan Defense Ministry, killing two Afghan soldiers and fatally wounding an Afghan army officer.
-Feb. 14: Suicide bomber attacks Kabul's first Western-style shopping mall, killing two security guards at the entrance.
-Jan. 28: Suicide bomber attacks inside western-style supermarket, killing eight.
-Jan. 12: Suicide bomber on a motorbike targets minibus carrying Afghan intelligence employees, killing at least two and wounding more than 30.
2010
-Dec. 19: Two insurgents strapped with explosives ambush a bus carrying Afghan army officers to work, killing five and wounding nine.
-Nov. 12: Suicide attacker strikes American convoy, killing one civilian.
-Aug. 10: Two suicide bombers attack a private security company building, killing two company drivers.
-June 2: Insurgents fire rockets at site of national peace conference; Taliban fighters wearing suicide vests battle security forces at the site. Two militants killed, but none of the 1,500 people attending the conference were wounded.
-May 18: Taliban suicide bomber attacks NATO convoy, killing 18 people including five American troops and a Canadian soldier.
-April 19: Explosion at an Afghan National Army facility just outside the capital kills an American soldier.
-Feb. 26: Suicide attackers strike two residential hotels, killing 20 people, including seven Indians.
-Jan. 26: Suicide car bomber strikes a barrier outside a U.S. base in Kabul, wounding six Afghans and eight American troops.
-Jan. 18: Team of suicide bombers and gunmen target government buildings, leaving 12 dead, including 7 attackers.
2009
-Dec. 15: Suicide car bomber strikes near hotel frequented by Westerners, killing 8 people.
-Oct. 28: Gunmen with suicide vests storm a guest house, leaving 11 dead, including 5 U.N. staff and 3 attackers.
-Oct. 8: Suicide car bomber detonates his vehicle outside the Indian Embassy, killing 17 people.
-Sept. 17: Suicide car bomber kills six Italian soldiers and 10 Afghan civilians on one of Kabul's main roads.
-Aug. 15: Suicide car bomber strikes near the front gate of NATO's headquarters, killing seven people.
-Feb. 11: Militants launch coordinated assault on three government buildings, killing at least 20 people.
2008
-Nov. 26: Suicide car bomb explodes 200 yards (meters) outside gate of U.S. Embassy in Kabul, killing at least four Afghan bystanders.
9 Days and COUNTING
See the counter at the top and you can imagine I'm getting more excited each tick on the timer to be heading back home and starting my new job. I know my family is ready and I cant wait to fire up the smoker, Hop in the pool and enjoy freedom again.
Cuban’s lips unzipped
Love him or Hate him.....He is never afraid to speak his mind. That what I like about him.
MIAMI (AP)—Mark Cuban zipped his lips and won a championship.
And when it was time for his old nemesis David Stern to hand him the shiny gold trophy, this was his big chance to say anything he wanted, with everyone watching.
So, what did he do?
He stood behind a 78-year-old man and let him take center stage, a reward for Donald Carter having founded the team 31 long years ago. He brought his wife and three kids on the podium to enjoy the moment. He even realized how corny he was being when he told his toddler son, “This could be yours.”
Then, out came the Mark Cuban most sports fans remember.
He swore in multiple TV interviews to emphasize how proud he was of his fans. He walked into a postgame news conference talking on the phone, hung up and hollered, “Did anybody inform you guys, we’re the world champions?!” On his way out, he took the trophy with him and declared it was spending the night in his room.
Meet Mark Cuban 2.0—an NBA champion who can be humble one moment, back to his raucous roots the next.
“You know, I probably won’t even shower for six months,” Cuban said, laughing. “My biggest fear is that I can’t remember every little part of it, every emotion, every feeling that I went through as the clock was winding down. … I was just hoping I could just do an emotional videotape of myself and just keep it. So that’s my biggest hope and fear that I’ll be able to feel this forever.”
Cuban hadn’t spoken publicly since winning the Western Conference championship, when he proclaimed “We ain’t done yet!”
On Sunday night, he spoke into the microphone with a voice scratchy from screaming and choked with emotion. He talked about being happy for his players, complimenting them for having “so much heart, so much determination and so much more than that.”
“I love every one of them,” he said.
A pivotal moment in getting to this point came last summer, at Cuban’s house. Dirk Nowitzki(notes) was a free agent and he wanted Cuban’s vow that if he re-signed, the owner would keep the core of the team intact and do all he could to find the pieces needed to make them champions.
He did, and they did.
“I give Mark a lot of credit,” Nowitzki said. “He stuck with me through thick and thin. He brought all the right players always in, always trying to spend money and make this organization better and this team better. So Mark is the best.”
Nowitzki was among those who appreciated Cuban censoring himself the past six weeks. It started after the Mavs won their first-round series against Portland.
Cuban held his tongue throughout a sweep of the Lakers, which had to be tough considering his past verbal jabs with Phil Jackson and Ron Artest(notes).He remained silent again through the conference finals against Oklahoma City, even refusing to answer questions about why he’d stopped doing interviews.
He kept it up during the finals, all the more remarkable considering he was front and center during Dallas’ 2006 trip to the finals against Miami, causing such a ruckus he was fined $250,000—part of a tab that’s well over $1 million.
Sitting next to the Larry O’Brien Trophy, wearing his favorite new hat, he finally explained why his silence.
“The big mystery, huh?” he said. “It didn’t make any sense to say anything,” he said, reciting the litany of questions he knew would surround each series. “The quieter I got, the more we won. I didn’t want to break the karma.”
Not that he thought there was a correlation between his silence and the team’s success.
“Do you really think these guys are going to play any harder or less hard because of what I say?” he said. “That’s disrespectful. They put it on the line. They didn’t care if I was naked at every game. They were going to go out there and play as hard as they could.”
In a corner of the jubilant locker room Sunday night, coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged that he helped convince Cuban to let the players and their performance on the court do all the talking.
“We kind of mutually talked about it,” Carlisle said. “He was great about it. He understood and he knew it was the right thing. … Mark’s a much more humble person than a lot of people want to believe. His heart is always in the right place. It gives us the tools to succeed. He was extremely disciplined during this run and it helped us.”
During the trophy presentation, and again at the start of his postgame interview, Carlisle used the line, “Our owner is now available for interviews.” It was his way of saying the muzzle was off.
“Look, he’s a smart guy,” Carlisle said. “He understands that certain things are sacred.”
Carter started the Mavericks in 1980 after a long, hard fight for an expansion team. He sold the club to Ross Perot Jr. in 1996, and in 2000 he sold it to Cuban. Mr. C, as he’s fondly known, has remained a part of the organization and a constant presence in courtside seats directly across from the Mavs bench—always wearing the white cowboy hat that was part of the club’s original logo.
Cuban approached Carter at game’s end and asked him to accept the trophy from Stern. It was a classy move and, by Carter’s estimation, the continuation of a run of great moves by Cuban this postseason.
“There wasn’t a script written for him that I know of, but he played it down exactly on when to say something, when not to,” Carter said. “He was everything I would ask an owner to be.”
With his voice cracking, Carter added: “I’ll just say he has become the owner I’ve always wanted because of his love of the game. I’d put him up against any of the owners and I’ve been around for 31 years.”
Really Big D
Mavericks top Heat for NBA title
MIAMI (AP)—Dirk Nowitzki(notes) and the Dallas Mavericks are NBA champions, and they went throughLeBron James(notes) for that long-awaited first title.
Jason Terry(notes) scored 27 points, Nowitzki added 21 and the Mavericks topped the Miami Heat 105-95 in Game 6 of the NBA finals on Sunday night. The Mavericks won four of the series’ last five games, a turnabout that could not have been sweeter after seeing the Heat celebrate their first title in Dallas after Game 6 of the 2006 finals.
James scored 21 for Miami, though was largely quiet after the opening minutes. Chris Bosh(notes) had 19, Mario Chalmers(notes) 18 and Dwyane Wade(notes)17 for the Heat.
When it was over, Mavs owner Mark Cuban ran onto the court to hug coach Rick Carlisle.
And James’ wait for his first NBA title will extend into at least his ninth season.
Changes in Paradise
Well it will be a little more challenging here in Kabul for the remaining tech guys. There was 3 internationals in the Tech department and all 3 are either leaving or gone. I, Assuming we work out a deal will be staying on as a part time consultant, Zach is gone and took what sounds like a great job in Evansville and David is out with an injury and will probably not be returning. So I will help out from Texas as I can and help them rebuild the team. I have 10 days left and I'm sure I will miss some people here but am so ready to be home....Later...JB
GO MAVS
My Final Tech Dinner
Tonight was a great time and here are some pictures from it. More pictures to come soon.
Charity Auction : Jr vs Sr
This is a auction for a great cause. Check out the bikes and vote. And if you have an extra suit case of money laying around I'm sure you can bid on one.
OCC Entry
PJD Entry
Going Green
Argand Energy Solutions of Charlotte designed and built the 61 kilowatt (KW) solar electric system consisting of 192 solar modules manufactured by SunPower Corp. Each panel generates 318 watts of clean electricity. The system is large enough to power about seven average U.S. homes for an entire year. While the energy generated will be sent back Duke Power’s grid, the system will offset about 75 percent of the building’s electricity use.
NASCAR fans can visit MTJ Motorsports to see first-hand how the solar power system works and the energy that it’s generating. The company hopes that their involvement in renewable energy generation will influence race fans to consider energy alternatives that are available to them and a more “green” lifestyle.
“If we all participated in renewable energy sources at some level, together we’d have a tremendous impact on conservation and help lessen dependency on foreign resources,” said Truex.
In addition to the energy savings, the Solar PV system will offset approximately 55 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, which is equivalent to planting more than 1,400 trees and growing them for 10 years.
“The NASCAR community has always been at the forefront of technology and performance, and it is really great to see a forward-thinking driver like Martin illustrate what can be done,” said Argand president Erik Lensch.
MAVS 1 More Game
I hate this place. Is it too much to ask for being able to watch the whole game. I saw the Mavs hit a 3 to tie it at 100 and then Dirk a killer power dunk to take the lead at 102-100 and then they switch it to fucking WWE. But after looking at Yahoo I was glad to see they won.
DALLAS (AP)—Dirk Nowitzki(notes) and the Dallas Mavericks finally have the lead in these ultra-close NBA finals, and now it really is “now or never” for LeBron James(notes) and the Miami Heat.
Nowitzki scored 29 points, driving for the go-ahead dunk with 2:45 remaining, and the Mavericks beat the Heat 112-103 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the NBA finals.
Love This
From Yahoo News. Maybe Fruitcake would of been better....lol
The Military's Code Name for Bin Laden Was Actually 'Cakebread'
Though the Navy SEAL team storming into bin Laden's Pakistan compound referred to the Al Qaeda leader as "Geronimo," Pentagon and CIA analysts knew him by a more culinary nickname: "Cakebread." The quirky piece of bin Laden death trivia comes from excerpts from a new book published by ABC News called Target: Bin Laden—The Death and Life of Public Enemy Number One. This morning, the network sent us a preview of the book with a conveniently bulleted list of its latest scoops:
- President Obama wanted to wait until DNA Results Came Back on OBL Before Telling the World of His Death
- Bin Laden’s code name: Cakebread
- The code name for his Abbottabad compound: AC-1...
- CIA Director Panetta’s last call to Special Forces: "Go in and find bin Laden, and if he's not there, get the hell out"
Kabul's Sweet Air
War may kill thousands of civilians a year in Afghanistan, but experts warn choking air pollution in the capital Kabul is actually more deadly. Click on the link above to see the video. It isn't a very good video but some of the stuff I deal with everyday...Later...JB
13 Days and Counting
The weekend is about upon us here in paradise. So 5 work days next week and a few the following and I'm on a few planes home. We are going to have our last Tech dinner on Saturday and I'm sure it will be fun. Have some good food, drink some good drink and maybe a cigar. I have packed 5 boxes of crap I have collected here and so far shipped 2. The other 3 will go next week. Just kept enough cloths to get by on for 13 days. Went to di
nner last
nner last night with 2 great guys, Aswini and Anand. We went to Deli Dar Bar, It is one of my favorite Indian places here in Kabul. Pictured in the post is a pic of them and what I call an Indian Tostada...Later....JB
MAVS Win
86-83 Another great comeback. Sure would like to see them win a game without a comeback
DALLAS (AP)—Dirk Nowitzki(notes) and the Dallas Mavericks have pulled off another stunning comeback, tying the NBA finals at two games each.
And this time, Nowitzki did it while battling the flu.
DALLAS, TX - JUNE 07: Dwyane …
Getty Images - Jun 7, 11:57 pm EDT
Getty Images - Jun 7, 11:57 pm EDT
Nowitzki shook off three poor quarters to score 10 of his 21 points in the final period as the Mavericks outscored the Miami Heat 21-9 over the final 10:12 for an 86-83 victory in a memorable Game 4 Tuesday night.
The Mavs avoided going down 3-1, a deficit no team has ever overcome in the finals, and guaranteed the series will return to Miami for a Game 6 on Sunday night.
Dwyane Wade(notes) scored 32 points, but fumbled an inbounds pass with 6.7 seconds left. He knocked the ball back to Mike Miller(notes) for a potential tying 3-pointer, but it wasn’t even close to hitting the rim.
Update From Skype
Update:
A configuration problem has meant that some of you have been disconnected from Skype.
We've identified the cause of the problem, and have begun to address it. If you've been affected, you should start to see improvement in the next hour or so. You shouldn't need to manually sign back in to Skype - it should reconnect automatically when it's able to do so.
We apologise for the disruption to your conversations.
##
Skype Issues
I guess I'm one of the small numbers effected, So is Kim and we are on opposite ends of the world.
From Skype:
A small number of you may have problems signing in to Skype. We're investigating the cause, and hope to have more details to share soon. For more information please visit the Skype Heartbeat website http://heartbeat.skype.com/
Weiner's future
Weiner sends a picture of his Weiner....OPPS
Try Again David
This is sad. After hiring a dumb ass to run his company he lost everything. This was about 4 years ago. So now the founder of Independence Media that hired this dumb ass and watched him run it into the ground buys one of the former stations he owned from the company he defaulted. Hope he does it better this time. Some of us told him so but he didn't listen. It also cost some of us our jobs.
A $1.2 million sale closes in Miami, with no change to the “ESPN Deportes” format at WOCN (1450). Seller was Independence Media (IM FL Licenses LLC) and the buyer Deportes Media of Florida, led by David Jacobs. The deal also includes another $200,000 worth of real estate, with the seller holding notes on both the station and the real estate. Broker – Stephan Sloan of Media Services Group, for seller Independence Media.
Later....JB
I want out NOW
I am so counting the days until I escape from the sandbox and the people who run it. I just don't understand why they do some of the stupid stuff they do. But I'm sure to them it makes since, even makes them stupider. Wasting our tax dollars right and left and calling it well spent in the name of progress, NOT....Later...JB
Kabul Golf Club
Was on my way to the Military base here in Kabul to go to the Bazaar but it was closed. So we went to the Kabul Golf Club to see how the Tournament was going. Internews's Des Low and Michael Alexander were playing in it. Here are a few pics from there. I will never bitch about course conditions again. The greens are made with sand and old motor oil, The fairways well you can see are just dirt, rocks and brush. Nice thing is you carry a peice of astro turf around to hit off of in the "fairway". I did notice there was no ruff unless you include the whole course. Love the way they spell welcome in the last picture...Later...JB
Nowitzki rallies Mavs to win
Guess you cant stop greatness... Dirk ROCKS....GO MAVS
3 More Weeks
Another week down and 3 to go. The days seem to be going slower each day. I cant wait to be Texas Bound. Had 2 boxes of stuff shipped home today. Might have a few more to go. It is amazing how much crap you can collect in 2 and a half plus years. Going to ship most of it so I don't have to lug it through the airports. Getting stuff in the Kabul Air Patch is a pain in the ass. Well I'm excited and ready for new challenges...Later...JB
Buildings
This is the first of 14 Prefab buildings being build to house new Radio and TV stations here in Afghanistan. It took longer to do the paperwork than it will take to build them and get them operational. Something seems wrong with that. But such is life in the NGO world...Later...JB
Happy Memorial Day
Just wanted to say Happy Memorial Day to all my fellow Vets. May you all be coming home soon and thank you for all your service. After being in a war zone for the last almost 3 years I am so ready to be coming home in 24 days....Later...JB
Tick, Tock Goes the Clock
I think time has slowed down today. I think knowing I'm heading home soon is taking effect. The last 25 days will creep along I'm sure. But at least I know I'm heading back to a great family and a cool job. Cant wait to get on my bike and ride, Hit the pool and get back to a normal life....if there is such a thing anymore....Later...JB
Here is Another One
The Final Countdown by Europe.
This was one of my favorite songs from my Air Force days. Not really about leaving Afghanistan or a place you don't want to be but a countdown related song. If you can think of a good countdown song let me know...Later....JB
Back in Kabul
Was nice to spend a few days out of the AF Sandbox and go to another one...lol. The countdown is still rolling. This song came up on my MP3 player on the flight back to Kabul and thought it could be my personal rock motivator for the next 27 days 15 hours and 45 mins. Was good to find a great rock song about counting the days until I can break away....Later....JB
Dubai Bound Today
Going to Dubai for a few days to renew my Visa and pick up a camera we sent in for repair. Looking forward to a few days of good showers, food and maybe a beer or 3....Later...JB
Power is Back
I'm sure by posting this I'm jinxing the power but so goes it. It was a trying day today dealing with people who have no clue about Broadcasting. I guess if you have a few years of being a journalist you are a broadcasting pro.....Not in most peoples books. Ever worked for a micro-manager? They suck too....Just a little ranting...lol...Later...JB
Mullah Omar may be dead
Wouldn't this be nice....A 1 2 punch for the fight against terror
Power
Was nice coming to the house last night after work and having power. Not even low power but the whole 220 volts. But it didn't last long. I heard it going on and off non-stop for a few mins and then it was gone. Not sure what time it was but guessing it was about 2am So before the battery on the laptop and the UPS for the internet dies I just had to get this rant out. It is amazing how good we have it in the US and just expect things to work and power company's to restore power when it goes out, Not when they get to it...Later...JB
Whos Watching Me
Posts
