Miscellaneous – Ms Sparky

Archive for the Miscellaneous Category

USACE awards KBR, Louis Berger and IAP $490M electrical contracts in Afghanistan…..Really?

By Ms Sparky | Filed in Miscellaneous

On September 30, 2011 KBR, along with Berger/Cummins JV and IAP Worldwide Services, Inc. were awarded contracts by the The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide electrical services for contingency operations in Afghanistan. This $490 million dollar contract is to perform electrical services for prime power operations in support of any location within the Afghan Theater of Operations. This contract supports any and all U.S. facilities in Afghanistan, as required, up to the maximum capacity of $500 million.

The contract includes generator set Operations and Maintenance (O&M), preparation, transport, installation, preventive maintenance, scheduled maintenance, emergency maintenance, service, fueling, relocating and recovering generator sets, associated fuel systems (if required), and all transmission/distribution system maintenance including the underground or overhead system at the U.S. Facilities from the generators to the transformer and associated switchgear.

USACE, who has had their own employee issues lately, acts as if there are no other contractors out there who can do this work! Not to mention, I suspect these three contractors will load up on cheap third world or Afghan labor to perform this work instead of licensed electricians, further propagating US sponsored human trafficking.

Let’s take a look at these contractors one by one. Read the remainder of this entry »

Pages: 1 2

Tags: Afghanistan, Alfred V. Neffgen, Berger/Cummins JV, BG Craig A. Peterson (Ret), Camp Marmal, Camp Nathan Smith, Cerberus Capital Management, Cummins Power Generation, FOB Konduz, IAP, IAP World Wide Services, KBR, Louis Berger Group, SSG Ryan Maseth, Tarin Kot, Task Force SAFE, Walter Reed Hospital, Worldwide Emergency Power

Obama announces end of Iraq war, troops to return home by year end

By Forseti | Filed in Miscellaneous, Politics

President Obama announced Friday that the United States will withdraw nearly all troops from Iraq by the end of the year, effectively bringing the long and polarizing war in Iraq to an end.
“After nearly 9 years, America’s war in Iraq will be over,” said Mr. Obama.

He said the last American troops will depart the country by January 1 “with their heads held high, proud of their success, and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops.”

“The transition in Afghanistan is moving forward, and our troops are finally coming home,” he added, saying in the White House briefing room that U.S. troops “will definitely be home for the holidays.”

Read the remainder of this entry »

Tags: Iraq, President Obama

Libyan government confirms Moammar Gadhafi’s death

By Forseti | Filed in Miscellaneous

SIRTE, Libya – Libya’s information minister said Moammar Gadhafi was killed Thursday when revolutionary forces overwhelmed his hometown, Sirte, the last major bastion of resistance two months after the regime fell. Amid the fighting, a NATO airstrike blasted a fleeing convoy that fighters said was carrying Gadhafi.

Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril confirmed that Gadhafi has been killed.

“We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Moammar Gadhafi has been killed,” Jibril told a news conference in the capital Tripoli.

Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam said he was told that Gadhafi was dead from fighters who said they saw the body.

“Our people in Sirte saw the body,” Shammam told The Associated Press. “Revolutionaries say Gadhafi was in a convoy and that they attacked the convoy.” He said the government head, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, would officially confirm the death, but it was not clear when. Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, the number two in the administration, called a press conference for 4 p.m. local time (10 a.m EDT)

Al-Jazeera TV showed photos of a man resembling Gadhafi lying dead or severely wounded. Other military officials in the government also said Gadhafi was dead and several revolutionary groups fighting in Sirte also said he was either killed or captured. (Click HERE for article)

Click HERE for link to OnDeadline with continuing updates on this breaking news.

Tags: Col. Moammar Gadhafi, Libya, Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, Sirte

God Bless The U.S.A.

By Ms Sparky | Filed in Miscellaneous

There has never been a day in U.S. history when Americans of every political view were more united than on September 11, 2001. On this day, 10 years years later I ask every politician to reflect and remember what the United States of America stands for and unite.

God Bless The U.S.A. and those who fight and die to protect it!

Tags: 9/11. September 11 2001, God Bless The U.S.A., Lee Greenwood

Hurricane Irene advice for MsSparky readers on the east coast

By Ms Sparky | Filed in Miscellaneous

I am an emergency preparedness believer. I want to share some of what I’ve learned over the years with my readers who are about to face Hurricane Irene. I hope it helps.

72 hours worth of supplies for your home is the absolute minimum. Some emergency planning sites are now recommending six days worth of supplies. You decide what’s best for you.

You need these in the event you lose power or for some reason can’t leave your home. In December 1996 I went to Eastern Washington to visit my family for Christmas. On December 26th a terrible ice storm pounded Washington and Oregon with inches of ice. We were lucky enough that we didn’t lose power, but due to the ice, the Interstates were closed for four days and therefore there were no deliveries being made to the grocery stores. By the time we could get to the grocery stores the shelves were bare. There was no food left. So, even if you don’t lose power you need to have at least 3 days worth of prepared foods, such as chili, stews and soups on hand at all times.

It’s too late to buy them now, but 72-Hour Kits can be purchased on-line at Amazon.com or you can put them together yourself. Pick a cool dry place like a cupboard or closet to store your 72 Hour Kits. Stock it then leave it alone. Check it every 6 months to make sure nothing is damaged or has expired. If you use something from your kit, replace it right away. You can store the water at the bottom of a closet or under the bed. This is the MINIMUM you should have on hand in your 72 Hour Kits for your home.

For the immediate emergency at hand….Hurricane Irene do the following:

FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF THE EMERGENCY OFFICIALS. IF THEY SAY EVACUATE….THEN EVACUATE!

Just remember….no electricity means…no refrigeration, no microwave, no electric stove top, no TV, no electric heat, no lights, no water if you are on a well, no elevators. Assess you situation and plan accordingly. Read the remainder of this entry »

Tags: 72-hour kits, Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Safety, Hurricane Irene