FBI & SBPD Get Together on Armored Car Training

On  November 10 the Seal Beach Police Department, in conjunction with the FBI and the California Armored Car Association hosted a seminar at the police station.

The program was designed to familiarize law enforcement robbery and homicide investigators with the personnel and equipment associated with the armored car industry.  The industry is suffering from an increase in both robberies and the killing of their guards.—

They brought five armored cars to demonstrate how our officers should investigate them during armored car robberies and the killings of their guards.  The 60+ police officials present complimented the program.

“Even in the best of times, departmental resources seldom seem adequate to guarantee the level of public safety and public service expected by the community,” said Chief Jeff Kirkpatrick.  “We appreciate being able to take advantage of these external resources.”

Here are the details of the BP/Arco clean-up in Seal Beach

This is a four page letter from the Orange County Health Care Agency to ARCO confirming OCHCA’s receipt, approval, conditions, and comments about the excavation workplan at the ARCO site that WUSB received from Jan Sledge, Executive Asst. to City Mgr Dave Carmany.

Its a lengthy document but we believed that those living in the area affected want to know all they can about what will affect the value of their homes as well as their health.

Excavation was proposed in the Revised Corrective Action Plan (CAP) dated July 19, 2010 that was approved by OCHCA on August 10, 2010. OCHCA is also requesting that ARCO prepare a workplan to conduct soil vapor sampling in the Bridgeport area before the dual phase extraction activities begin.  The sampling must include soil probe in the streets and alleyways and as many of the subslab probes as ARCO is able to gain access to.  The soil vapor sampling workplan must be submitted to OCHCA by December 15, 2010.

To read the letter completely go to:file:///Users/billhalpin/Desktop/ARCO%20Station%20%236066%20-%20Excavation%20Workplan.pdf

Little love for tax increases by California Voters…but?

A new poll done by Greenberg Quislin and Rosner   http://www.greenbergresearch.com/index.php?ID=2548 found that California registered voters see no easy solution for the state’s budget woes. They want the new governor to focus on cutting spending – with little support for tax increases – but their highest priority is protecting spending for health care and education.

They do not want to cut services that they think are important to the state. Indeed, they want to increase spending on K-12, college and universities and health care.

By nearly three to one they believe the budget can best be reduced by cutting waste and inefficiency rather than cutting programs like health care and education.

There are some other great revelations that the independent pollsters felt came out of the research that was published in the L.A. Times on Friday November 18.  For full text go to: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-poll-20101119,0,1562210.story – -and read the story by Cathleen Decker.

Up To Date Election Night Results For Orange County

ELECTION NIGHT RESULTS

Orange County uses a central location for tallying votes. All ballots are tabulated in the Registrar of Voters Tally Center located at 1300 S. Grand Ave., Bldg. C, Santa Ana.

The vote counting procedure is open to public viewing. Unofficial results are available throughout the evening of the election in the Registrar of Voters office beginning at approximately 8:05 p.m. and continuing until all precinct ballots have been tallied. Results may also be obtained by calling the Registrar of Voters office at (714) 567-7600 or visiting our web site www.ocvote.com

When you get to this site you need to click on “Election Results” and then click on “Enhanced Election Night Reporting” that will take you to the November 2, 2010 Election Results – don’t forget to “refresh” every once in awhile to get the updates.

New Star Wars Weapons for Navy, USAF, USA & local police!

Creech AFB recently invited a selected group to a showing of some new UAV technology. Terrorist UAV’s used against Israel, UAVs we’re using now and stuff recently off the drawing board and in production.

Here’s a special treat for our readers courtesy of Seal Beach pilot, Jerry Rootlieb. Photos and commentary of new unmanned weaponry that was shown by Colonel Chris Chambliss, Commander of the 432nd (UAS) Wing at Creech AFB were sent to Jerry by his friend Bud Kiesow.

All of the Air Force’s unmanned drones are now operated from Creech Air Force Base, 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas at Indian Springs. They used to run out of Nellis AFB and now have their own Wing at Creech AFB

Some of his comments:

-“It’s the most deadly remote controlled plane in the world.”

–“Pilots fly it like a teenager playing a video game.”

–“Airmen at Creech AFB can control the Predator drone and the second generation Reaper anywhere in the world.”

Col. Chambliss went on to say  “Since at least 2001, Predator’s have been airborne 24/7, primarily over Iraq and Afghanistan. There has never been a time since 2001 when they weren’t in the air.”

The unmanned program is so successful it’s now under the command of the Air Force. “We are going to increase the number of combat air patrols that we fly with it and the number of hours astronomically” Col. Chambliss said. This year the Predator drone will fly 75,000 hours — up 20-percent from last year.

What a different perspective on future combat roles!

Here’s some photos from the present and the future: Flight of the Extreme UAVs –  From Smallest to Deadliest

Most Famous

The MQ-1 Predator was an evolution of the earlier Gnat-750. Originally intended purely for reconnaissance, it was later armed with a single Hellfire missile. This combination appears to be extremely effective at precision strikes according to the Department of Defense, which claims a success rate of “nearly 100 percent.” Predators are used by both the Air Force and the CIA.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a scaled-up version of the Predator, larger, faster and more powerful. Reaper was designed from the outset as a hunter- killer. It can carry up to 14 Hellfire missiles or other weapons such as the 500-pound, laser-guided bombs shown. The 432nd Wing of the U.S. Air Force was activated to operate MQ-9 Reaper on May 1, 2007. Photo: U.S.Air Force

Widest Range RQ-4A Global Hawk is the Air Force’s endurance drone, able to cruise at around 400 mph for 35 hours. It has an operational ceiling of 65,000 feet, and from this altitude it can scan an area the  size of Illinois (40,000 nautical square miles) in just 24 hours. It is equipped with radar and infrared, as well as optical sensors.

Stealthiest The Joint Unmanned Combat Air System demonstration program, or J-UCAS-D, is intended to be the forerunner of the next generation of stealthy robot-strike aircraft. Its geometry and radar-absorbent materials make it difficult to impossible to spot on radar, as well as making it look “badass.” Operating from aircraft carriers, the UCAS-D could fulfill the Navy’s goal of an aircraft that can carry a payload (such as bombs) of up to 2,000 pounds, plus an extra 2,500 pounds externally when stealth is not required. A typical use would be to send unmanned drones in as a first wave to take out enemy air defenses and clear the way for manned aircraft.

Most Welcome

The CQ-10 Snow Goose is a parafoil-wing UAV for carrying medical equipment or other urgent supplies to Special Forces operating in unfriendly territory. The flexible wings are made of textile, like a parachute. The Snow Goose can be launched from the ground or from the loading ramp of a transport aircraft. Range and payload are inversely proportional; the CQ-10 can carry a 75-pound payload for 200 miles, or 500 pounds for a shorter distance depending on launch altitude and wind speed.

Most Alarming The MIRSAD-1 drone has been flown over Israel by the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah (mirsad means “ambush” in Arabic). It may be armed; Hezbollah has claimed that it can be loaded with a warhead of 40 to 50 kilos (90 to 110 pounds) of explosives, turning it into a flying suicide bomber able to reach anywhere. The Israeli Defense Force shot down two similar drones in 2006.

Toughest

The Battle hog 150 is intended to meet the Marine Corps requirement for a vertical takeoff drone capable of operating from aircraft carriers. It can fly at over 300 mph with a payload of 500 pounds, with armaments likely to include Hellfire missiles, rocket pods and 7.62-mm mini-guns. The Battle hog series is designed to be as robust as possible, being able to withstand small-arms fire from close range. The drone is steered entirely by moving the two wingtip fans, so there are no vulnerable flight controls. Image: American Dynamics Flight Systems Wingspan

The Killer Bee is part UAV, part missile. It’s intended to be deployed in ‘constellations’ of many vehicles work- ing cooperatively. These swarms can be used for either reconnaissance or for attack with up to 30 pounds of weapons per drone. The Killer Bee is designed so several can be stacked together in the cargo bay of an aircraft or in a truck, maximizing the number that can be carried.

Carrier Copter The MQ-8 Fire Scout made by Northrop Grumman is operated by the U.S. Navy and can make an automated landing on a moving aircraft carrier. Typical missions include surveillance, locating targets and directing fire. There have also been weapons tests with a Firescout armed with 2.75-inch rockets. The U.S. Army has now shown interest in having its own version.Though nine MQ-8 vehicles are in the flight-test stage, the model is not yet operational. The Navy plans to eventually have a fleet of 168. Photo: U.S.Navy

Honeywell MAV, or micro air vehicle, will be an integral part of the U.S. Army’s Future Combat System, giving reconnaissance capability to front-line troops. The small ‘Class I’ version seen here  will be back-packable. It has a planned weight of 20 pounds, and is capable of  a 50-minute mission spying on locations up to half a mile away. The vertical takeoff and hovering capability make it well-suited to the urban canyons of the modern battlefield.

This is my favorite.  Looks almost like a large moth.  A most versatile morphing micro air/land vehicle, or MMALV, is a hybrid that can fly, then land, fold up its wings and crawl around buildings or other tight spaces. The MMALV project is lead by Bio Robots, in collaboration with the Biologically Inspired Robotics Laboratory at Case Western Reserve University , the University of Florida and the Naval Postgraduate School . Photo: Richard Bachmann,  Bio Robots

The German-made Micro drone is equipped with GPS, a camera and a loud-hailer to give instructions to those on the ground, and is currently being tested by police in the UK . This type of UAV is the one you’re most likely to see hovering around your neighborhood. Its quad-rotor design is intended to make it resilient — Micro drone can return to base with just two rotors. Law-enforcement officials hope the Micro drone can carry out some of the tasks of police helicopters, but at a fraction of the cost.Photo: Micro drones

Originally used for tracking schools of tuna, the Scan Eagle drone is used by the Marine Corps in Iraq , where various versions of the model have flown several thousand hours of missions. It has a stabilized, gimbaled camera turret that can be fitted with either daylight or infrared imagers. No runway is required; instead it is fired aloft by a pneumatic launcher and retrieved by a rope-and-hook arrangement where a crane snags it out of mid-air

IF YOU WANT TO PASS THIS ON TELL YOUR EMAIL FRIENDS TO GO TO <whatsupinsealbeach.com> It will also be available in  our archives under October 2010

Yet another benefit comes with a walk on the Pier.

Brain’s gray matter doesn’t seem to shrink with this amount of exercise, study finds. Up and down our pier…is about 1/2 mile. So a walk in the a.m. and the afternoon equals a mile. Easy,right? Seal Beach is a town of walkers…we all know that. And new research says walking about six miles a week appears to protect against brain shrinkage in old age, which in turn helps stem the onset of memory problems and cognitive decline, new research reveals. “We have always been in search of the drug or the magic pill to help treat brain disorders,” noted Kirk I. Erickson, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and the study’s lead author. “But really what we are after may be, at least partially, even simpler than that. Just by walking regularly, and so maintaining a little bit of moderate physical activity, you can reduce your likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease and [can] spare brain tissue.” A report on the research, which was supported by the U.S. National Institute on Aging, is published online Oct. 13 in Neurology. Erickson and his colleagues began tracking the physical activity and cognitive (or thinking) patterns of nearly 300 adults in 1989. At the start, all participants were in good cognitive health, they averaged 78 years old and about two-thirds were women. The researchers charted how many blocks each person walked in a week. Nine years later, they were given a high-resolution MRI scan to measure brain size. All were deemed to be “cognitively normal.” But four years after that, testing showed that a little more than one-third of the participants had developed mild cognitive impairment or dementia. By correlating cognitive health, brain scans and walking patterns, the research team found that being more physically active appeared to marginally lower the risk for developing cognitive impairment. But more specifically, they concluded that the more someone walks, the more gray matter tissue the person will have a decade or more down the road in regions of the brain — namely the hippocampus, the inferior frontal gyrus and the supplementary motor area — that are central to cognition. And among the more physically active participants who had retained more gray matter a decade out, the chances of developing cognitive impairment were cut in half, the study found. However, the researchers stressed that the relationship between walking and gray matter volume appears to apply only to people who regularly walk relatively long distances that equal about six to nine miles a week. Walking more than the six- to nine-mile range, however, did not have cognitive benefit, the study found. “That’s because the size of our brain regions can only be so large,” Erickson said, adding that the opposite isn’t true. “So with no exercise, there can be significant deterioration and decay with age.” However, he added, “what we often tend to think of as an inevitable component or characteristic of aging — memory decline and brain decay — is clearly not inevitable. There’s plenty of evidence now, and this study is part of that, that shows that we can retain our brain tissue and retain our memories well into late adulthood by maintaining an active and engaged lifestyle.” Dr. Steven V. Pacia, chief of neurology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, described the study’s finding as both “intriguing” and an “undoubtedly positive message to send to the public.” “My first reaction to studies like this is that only in America do we have to prove to people that it’s good to walk,” he said with a chuckle. “But it stands to reason that being active as we age is going to have a beneficial effect on the brain, just as being inactive is going to have a negative impact,” Pacia noted. “Because the brain lives in the environment of the body.” But there may be a catch. “This is just an observational study,” Pacia noted. “And while we may assume that the relationship between the brain and activity is a prevention-of-atrophy issue — just like it is with muscle and bone — this study doesn’t actually prove that. We don’t yet know enough about the use-it-or-lose-it notion with respect to brain and exercise. So we do need more research to look at that.” To find out more go to: http://www.lifelinescreening.com/health-updates/health-news/walking-may-save-memory.aspx?SourceCd=LETT-696

Mike Bubhe Picks For Council Seats- – 1, 3 and 5

Dear Seal Beach Voter –
Vote for the following candidates to help retain the unique beach town character of Seal Beach:

-Ellery Deaton Old Town, District 1
-Gordon Shanks The Hill, District 3
-Anne Seiffert Leisure World, District 5

Through my work to keep Seal Beach small by limiting Old Town to a two-story height limit, I know that these candidates will keep the village character of Seal Beach.  Please vote for them, and remember that mail-in ballots must be received by November 2, this coming Tuesday.

Each candidate must win with 50% of the vote plus one vote.
Be the one vote to put your candidate over the top!

Thank you, Mike Buhbe
miketwostories@mac.com

Can’t Retire Yet…We’ve got good news for you!

A recent study seems to say that “use it or lose it” hits the nail on the head…so to speak….for retirees. (We all knew that..right?)

The researchers find a straight-line relationship between the percentage of people in a country who are working at age 60 to 64 and their performance on memory tests. The longer people in a country keep working, the better, as a group, they do on the tests when they are in their early 60s.

The memory test looks at how well people can recall a list of 10 nouns immediately and 10 minutes after they heard them. A perfect score is 20, meaning all 10 were recalled each time. Those tests were chosen for the surveys because memory generally declines with age, and this decline is associated with diminished ability to think and reason.

People in the United States did best, with an average score of 11. Those in Denmark and England were close behind, with scores just above 10. In Italy, the average score was around 7, in France it was 8, and in Spain it was a little more than 6.

Laura Carstensen, Director of the Center on Longevity at Stanford University found the study incredibly interesting and exciting. The two economists, Susann Rohwedder and Robert Willis, who published the  paper “Mental Reitrement” in the Journal of Economic Perspectives said that “Early retirement appears to have a significant negative impact on the cognitive ability of people in their early 60s that is both quantitatively important and causal.”

They came to this conclusion after testing retirees and non-retires from the U.S., England, and several European and Scandanavian countries. (Surprise…the U.S.scored pretty well for a change.”

Good news/Bad news- – – depending on your outlook; the sooner you retire the more likely you are to lose some of your cognitive ability.  ” In an informal manner  we are arguing that public policies that affect the age of retirement may be used as instrumental variables to generate cross-country variation in retirement behavior in order to identify the causal effect of retirement on cognition.”  (Pension variations, taxes, disability policies, etc.) http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/jep.24.1.119

Not surprising is that not everyone is convinced. (Perhaps those striking workers in France?) At Harvard Lisa Berkman, director of the Center for Population and Development Studies said; “If you do Sudoku, you get better at Sudoku. You get better at one narrow task but you don’t get better at cognitive behavior in life.”  (So what does she know..said William Halpin of Seal Beach.)

This is a very exciting story for those of us who wonder if we’re losing it.  Maybe not?

For the entire N.Y. Times article and to see test results GO TO: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/science/12retire.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&emc=eta1

Seal Beach at 95…and at 190!

They came from near, and not so near, to help us celebrate our 95 years of “cityhood.”  And guess what.  There is a TIME CAPSULE … that is scheduled to be opened in October, 2110…and I hope some of you are still around when its opened.

Congratulations should go out to Libby Applegate and Nancey Kredell and all of our friends and neighbors who gave of their time and money to create this great idea of a Founder’s Day.  They are too numberous to name here but go to see pictures of the group:

http://sbfoundersday.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/95th-seal-beach-founders-day-parade/

We walked the streets of the town both Saturday and Sunday and everyone we saw was quite excited about what was going on.

IS THIS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE OR WHAT?

Anyone who has photos of the day please send them to us and we’ll put them in What’s Up immediately.  Just identify the people you want to…or the dog, or the baby, or the venue.

We’re an easy touch for publicity.

Thanks again to the Founder’s Group.  You guys are great!

Founder’s Day Challenge #3….very easy!

This challenge will be the easiest of the three because all we’re asking is that you help up publicize three FREE founders celebration events scheduled this weekend.

If you enjoy shopping, listening to music, or parades, amusement rides, and entertainment,  Seal Beach is the place to be this weekend.

Thanks to our generous sponsors, all of these activities are offered for FREE.  Please join us this weekend and e-mail this link to any friends or family who might want to be part of the celebration:

http://sbfoundersday.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/challenge-3/

Here the rundown on this weekend’s events (Did we mention they’re all FREE?):

MAIN STREET SIDEWALK SALE – Hunt for BARGAINS and great deals from our great Seal Beach businesses on Main Street!    Saturday and Sunday October 9 and 10th  from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CONCERT BY THE PIER- Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.  Featuring the “Sin Twins” Rhythm and blues Revue.  Saturday 4 to 6 p.m. at the pier.

SUNDAY Seal Beach FOUNDER’S DAY PARADE and the Joy Zone Festival! (rides, food booths and entertainment) on the Green Belt at Main and Electric.  Show your support for our parks and recreation fund raiser

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