Motion Center Toronto: Dec 4, 2010

Saturday, December 4, 2010

History – Milestones of the U.S. Life-Saving Service

Saturday, December 4, 2010Written by: LT Connie BraeschPost Written by William H. Thiesen, Ph.D., Atlantic Area HistorianLife-Saving Station crewA U.S. Life-Saving Station crew pulls a Monomoy surf boat on it's beach trailer. U.S. Coast Guard photo.Coast Guard history has been shaped in no small part by the nation’s response to natural and man-made disasters. Nowhere is that lesson clearer than in the evolution of the service’s search and rescue mission. Interestingly, many milestones in the history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service took place in the month of December. This was due in part to the heavy loss of life resulting from severe weather experienced during the autumn and early winter.Life-Saving Station crewThe crew of Life-Saving Station in Unalaska, Alaska in July 1914. U.S. Coast Guard photo.A series of marine accidents that befell the East Coast beginning in 1837 highlighted the need for a formal search and rescue organization. That year, the Barque Mexico came ashore near New York Harbor with the loss of over 100 passengers and crew. This tragedy is what led Congress to recognize the need for government assistance to vessels in distress. On December 22, Congress passed legislation assigning naval vessels and, later, Revenue Cutter Service vessels the responsibility for patrolling during severe weather and aiding ships in distress.Two major maritime disasters in 1854 led Congress to enact one of the most sweeping bills in the history of the Life-Saving Service. In April, more than two hundred lives were lost when the Powhattan wrecked off the New Jersey shore and, in November, nearly 220 lives were lost when the New Era also came ashore. These incidents demonstrated flaws in earlier lifesaving legislation – legislation which provided funding to build and furnish lifesaving stations, but left the facilities manned by disorganized groups of local volunteers that were untrained and unreliable during severe weather.Life-Saving Service SuperintendentsU.S. Life-Saving Service Superintendents around 1898-1901. Photo courtesy of Coast Guard Station Chatham website.In response to this horrific loss of life, Congress passed what came to be known as the Act of December 15, 1854. This act greatly expanded the ability of the federal government to support lifesaving operations. It allowed for the construction of new stations along the New Jersey and Long Island coasts and a superintendent for both districts to oversee their operation. Furthermore, it provided upgrades necessary to existing stations and their gear. Most importantly, it funded the appointment of a salaried keeper for each station. These paid keepers were responsible for maintaining the stations, their boats and gear; as well as training volunteers. And these keepers led the volunteer crews in carrying out rescue operations and responding to vessels in distress.The late summer and early winter of 1870 proved a deadly season for ships in U.S. waters. Storms and severe weather swept the Great Lakes and East Coast, blowing ashore numerous ships with the loss of countless lives. These fatalities pointed to the need for further improvements in the government’s effort to prevent loss of life in marine accidents.Sumner I. KimballSumner I. KimballGeorge S. Boutwell, Treasury Secretary under President U.S. Grant, responded in part by appointing a qualified superintendent to oversee a Revenue Marine Division which included steamboat inspection, marine hospitals and lifesaving stations. By December 1870, Secretary Boutwell had in mind a skillful manager and administrator named Sumner Kimball. Appointed in February 1, 1871, Kimball oversaw the expansion of the lifesaving station network from the Long Island and New Jersey to encompassing the Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast and all of the East Coast. His appointment initiated a rapid expansion of the government’s lifesaving service and, in 1878, he oversaw the formal establishment of the U.S. Life-Saving Service as a separate agency within the Treasury Department.The marine accidents listed above are but a few of many that helped shape the U.S. Life-Saving Service. After its official founding in 1878, the service would continue to experience growing pains, but the shipwrecks and maritime disasters that helped start the service would continue to help shape its development into an effective shore-based search and rescue organization. And, in much the same way, marine accidents would help shape other Coast Guard missions, such as marine safety, marine environmental protection, law enforcement and several others. Bookmark and Share

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. SFC James E. Thode, 45, of Kirtland, N.M., died Dec. 2 at Sabari District, Khowst Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1457th Engineer Battalion, 204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Salt Lake City, Utah.

ROAD MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS

I-90 - NYS THRUWAY, Milepost 428road maintenance operations, left lane closed, center lane closed I-90 - NYS Thruway westbound between exit 54 and exit 56Estimated End Time: Until further notice

ROAD MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS

I-90 - NYS THRUWAY, Milepost 428road maintenance operations, left lane closed, center lane closed I-90 - NYS Thruway westbound between exit 54 and exit 56Estimated End Time: Until further notice

I-90 - NYS THRUWAY, Milepost 430.51 ACCIDENT

I-90 - NYS THRUWAY, Milepost 430.51accident I-90 - NYS Thruway westbound between exit 55 and exit 56Estimated End Time: 12/4/2010 8:10 PM

Webcast Schedule of Upcoming Public Meetings NYS Thruway

Pursuant to Executive Order No. 3, New York State agencies and public authorities are required to broadcast meetings subject to the Open Meetings Law via the internet.

Upcoming Live Webcasts
Date/time	meeting	video Links
January 19, 2011 10:00am	Governance Committee Meeting	Links to the webcast will be here during the event.
January 19, 2011 10:30am	Audit Committee Meeting	Links to the webcast will be here during the event.
January 19, 2011 10:45am	Finance Committee Meeting	Links to the webcast will be here during the event.
January 19, 2011 11:00am	Thruway Authority/Canal Corporation Board Meeting	Links to the webcast will be here during the event.

Thruway Conditions - Rochester, NYfiuth

ROCHESTER
Section	Date/Time	Road Status Road Status Terms Help	Pavement Conditions Pavement Terms Help	Weather Conditions Weather Terms Help

Manchester I-90 Exits 41 - 45	12/04 05:10 PM	Snow/Ice Conditions	Icy Spots, Wet Spots	Light Snow

West Henrietta I-90 Exits 45 - 47	12/04 05:11 PM	Generally Clear & Dry Conditions	Icy Spots, Wet Spots	NA

Buffalo Thruway Conditions Buffalo

BUFFALO
Section	Date/Time	Road Status Road Status Terms Help	Pavement Conditions Pavement Terms Help	Weather Conditions Weather Terms Help

Batavia I-90 Exits 47 - 48A	12/04 05:11 PM	Generally Clear & Dry Conditions	Icy Spots, Wet Spots	NA

Buffalo I-90 Exits 48A - 57	12/04 05:11 PM	Generally Clear & Dry Conditions	Icy Spots, Wet Spots	NA

Silver Creek I-90 Exits 57 - 59	12/04 05:11 PM	Generally Clear & Dry Conditions	Icy Spots, Wet Spots	NA

Westfield I-90 Exits 59 - 61	12/04 05:11 PM	Generally Clear & Dry Conditions	Icy Spots, Wet Spots	NA

Niagara I-190 Exits 1 - 21	12/04 05:11 PM	Generally Clear & Dry Conditions	Icy Spots, Wet Spots	NA

accident I-90 - NYS Thruway eastbound between exit 59 and exit 58

I-90 - NYS THRUWAY, Milepost 456.6

Estimated End Time: 12/4/2010 5:40 PM

Tonawanda, (City of) Niagara Street

Section of Niagara Street between Adam and Seymour has reopened.

Traffic Report In Buffalo Area

Erie county Weather report for the Buffalo area: Today: A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32.
Tonight: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. North wind around 10 mph.
Sunday: Snow showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 31. Breezy, with a west wind between 14 and 20 mph. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

ACCIDENTI-190 - NIAGARA THRUWAY, Milepost 14.2

I-190 - NIAGARA THRUWAY, Milepost 14.2
accident I-190 - Niagara Thruway southbound at exit 17
Estimated End Time: 12/4/2010 3:03 PM

Chairman Discusses 'Don't Ask,' Global Issues in Podcast

By Karen ParrishAmerican Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2010 - Repeal of the law that bans gays from serving openly in the military is a change he personally and professionally feels needs to be made, the nation's top military officer said today in a podcast for servicemembers worldwide.Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke about the report on the law's possible repeal as part of his regular podcast to troops. He also discussed WikiLeaks, the new arms-reduction treaty with Russia, North Korea, and the 2014 goal for Afghanistan security transition.Mullen said the Defense Department report on the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law released Nov. 30 is a landmark."It's the first real data that we have on this issue, and the most extensive effort ever exerted to understand a personnel policy issue," the chairman said. "I think the most significant part of it is ... with mitigation, the risk of implementation, should the law change, is low. [Our] combat forces ... view this possible change with more concern, and I understand that. I have, however, great confidence in our leadership, should this change, to be able to mitigate both those concerns and the risks that are associated with this."Mullen said he "fundamentally struggles" with the idea that the military puts a high value on integrity, yet has a policy requiring gays and lesbians to lie about who they are."I've served with gays since 1968. ... In many cases, they have been exceptional performers," he said. "From my perspective, I just think it's time to move on."November's NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal, brought coalition unanimity on the timelines for security transition in Afghanistan, the chairman said."NATO –- 28 countries, plus the other 20 countries who are providing troops there –- all agree this is something we ought to really shoot for," he said.He explained that the year 2014 is the goal for Afghan army and police forces and the country's civilian leadership to take charge of their own security."So we would transition all security responsibilities –- as we did last year in Iraq, in 2009 –- to the security forces and the political and military leadership in Afghanistan," he said. "I think that's a reasonable goal. It's a good target."Security capability in Afghanistan has made progress over the last year, he said. "We've seen improved performance," he added, "[but] there are still areas they're struggling in, ... less on the military side than on the police side."Mullen said he thinks 2014 is a reasonable goal, and coalition partners are agreed on that."When you're in a campaign like this, it's good to have the same target everybody's shooting at," he said.Mullen said with a year elapsed since President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed a new strategic arms reduction treaty, ratification is an increasingly pressing issue."It's an incredibly important treaty, in terms of controlling and understanding the most dangerous weapons known to man –- nuclear weapons," he said. "Russia and the United States combined ... own more than 90 percent of the nuclear weapons in the world. By virtue of that, there is responsible leadership tied to this ownership."The treaty, if ratified, allows for a robust verification process, reduces the number of nuclear weapons and launchers a country can have, "and yet it does that well within the military requirements that we have, should they ever be required to be used," Mullen said."I'm very comfortable with that," he added.Treaty ratification also could help to further develop U.S. relations with Russia, the chairman said."We've worked this hard, [and] they've actually worked with us in some other areas, let's say sanctions for Iran," he said. "I am concerned that without this ratification, [that] sends a strong signal with respect to that relationship, and we want it going in the other direction. So for lots of reasons, I think it's really important that this treaty be ratified."The most serious concern posed by North Korea, the chairman said, is "the unpredictability of what they'll do.""It's a country that has tested nuclear weapons, [and] they have just unveiled very publicly this uranium enrichment plant," he said. "They, in fact, fired artillery onto the South Korean islands, killing four South Koreans. ... So from my perspective, the ante's going up."Mullen said the United States and regional powers have to take a strong interest in containing instability on the Korean peninsula."I'm increasingly concerned, and I think all of us –- the United States, the regional countries, China, Japan, certainly South Korea –- all have to step up to ensure that this behavior doesn't continue," he said. "It's reckless, it's dangerous, and I worry a great deal that it could spin in the wrong direction."Leaks of classified information place lives at risk, and that has already happened, the chairman said.WikiLeaks' posting of classified documents demonstrates "little care for those lives, and little care for the responsibilities that come with focusing on those lives, or the kinds of engagements that we have diplomatically," he said.At the same time, he said, leaked documents reveal how deeply the United States is engaged around the world."Often times, we focus heavily on trouble spots, because they're the most dangerous," Mullen said. "We are a country that really tries to solve those problems."He said the United States has been, and continues to be in many ways, indispensable in its leadership to "move these problems to a place where they can be solved.""Do we always get it right? No. Do we make mistakes? Certainly, on occasion," Mullen said. "But I think by and large what you're seeing is the U.S. as it always has been -– heavily engaged, working to lead, and trying to solve some very, very complex, difficult, and dangerous problems, and we'll continue to do that." Biographies:Navy Adm. Mike MullenRelated Sites:Chairman's Podcast