From Reuters.com

Tributes, commentaries on former President Ford

Former U.S. President Gerald Ford, who has died at his home in California at age 93, was remembered Wednesday by President Bush as a ‘calm and steady hand.’ Vice President Cheney, in a statement, called Ford a ‘dear friend and mentor’. Alexander Haig, Ford’s chief of staff, told CNN that Ford’s pardon of former President Richard Nixon “was one of the most courageous acts a president ever took.” Ford pardoned Nixon on September 8, 1974, an act that stunned the nation. More facts about ex-President Ford here.

In other tributes and commentaries, The Washington Post, the paper that broke the Watergate scandals that eventually brought down Nixon, posted archived stories and a video interview with Bob Woodward on the story.

The Detroit Free Press (Ford was from Michigan) reported a “steady stream” of visitors at a makeshift shrine outside the Gerald R. Ford musuem (pictured right/REUTERS). In an editorial, the newspaper declared the former president had  ”earned a revered place in American history by making the ultimate political sacrifice.”

Comedian Chevy Chase, who protrayed Ford on ‘Saturday Night Live’ , called him “a very, very sweet man… He took my wife and I on a whole lovely trip through Grand Rapids to show us where he had been as a child and what not.” See full Reuters interview here A lively comment thread surfaced on the left-leaning blog Daily Kos, with some of the posts on topic. On the right, blogger Michelle Malkin links to a  tribute from columnist Martin Schram, who recalls ”a very comfortable professional relationship between a very important Washington politician and a very inexperienced young journalist.” Religious blog Mondaymorninginsight compiles quotes attributed to Ford over the years, including “I am a Ford, not a Lincoln.” From the markets, Peter Cohen concludes in bloggingstocks, that the U.S. stock market performed “surprisingly well” during Ford’s 895-day tenure.

Green Bay Packers fans behind Packerama detail two of Ford’s connections to the famed football franchise. That Ford dedicated the original building of the Packer Hall of Fame is but only one of them. More chat on Ford’s influence, at least from the college football “micro angle”, here at Collegefootballresource.  Hookedongolfblog posts an old photograph of Ford with a personal touch.

Send us your comments to the link below.

“Dance ’til the sun goes around”

                                                                                                                                     The flyer for the New Year’s Eve party — IceStock — at Antarctica’s McMurdo Station tells a lot about the weirdly normal vibe here: “Come out and dance ’til the sun goes around.”

Unlike almost every other location on the planet, the sun won’t go down on New Year’s Eve at this outpost on the frozen Ross Sea. It won’t even get low in the sky. It won’t really set until March, and then it will stay down for six months. But just because it won’t get dark is no excuse not to celebrate, so McMurdo’s denizens definitely will.

Despite being at the literal end of the Earth, the people at this base seem to prize the small comforts that make this strange place homey.

For example, bring your credit cards for the McMurdo store, where you can buy T-shirts honoring everything Antarctic, from penguins to “Ivan the Terra Bus,” the large-wheeled vehicle that acts as the airport shuttle. Beer, wine and liquor are also for sale. There’s an ATM on the main corridor leading to the dining hall, such a busy route that it’s known as Highway One, and the McMurdo store takes U.S. dollars.

But if you go to the South Pole, you will be warned: bring cash. No credit cards are accepted at the store at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, where the proceeds help pay for workout equipment.

Most people tend to get something of a workout just walking around in their Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear, including the Big Red, a parka so massive it can conceal four or five layers of clothing in its depths. ECW adds an extra 30 pounds to your body weight, especially if you count the insulated bunny boots, which weigh about 11 pounds per pair. On days when the temperature rises to near freezing, this can seem extraneous. But when it snaps cold and windy, you treasure every stitch of the ECW getup.

You also learn to love the dining hall, known as the Galley. The center of social interaction here — because everybody has to eat — the Galley provides the fuel you need to keep going, 5000 calories worth a day for some outdoor workers. Even so, weight loss at McMurdo is common.

Diary of a video embed – part 4

Laurent Hamida has been travelling with the British Army in southern Afghanistan as an ‘embedded’ video journalist. This is his final blog from the  assignment.

In the middle of the desert the Padre asked for a minute’s silence. The 105 gun just beside us fired a round, into the emptiness. We were all looking at the ground or to the horizon. After the first minute of silence, the gun fired again. I did not film that one, they had asked me to join in the ceremony. Felt sad…nothing to say.

All the men were getting ready to move north, back to camp Bastion. The sun was starting to melt the ice, you could feel it in your body. Silence, just a few words. I still have my story in my camera, could not send it last night.

The whole squadron started to move slowly, almost radio silence, everybody deep in his thoughts. I was on the bridge of the Squadron leader, not filming, just looking, thinking, falling asleep. It was a long ride. Many problems with the tanks, they were like the men: they needed rest.

We had a couple of long stops. The sun disappeared. Long, long trip, everybody was exhausted, was half-sleeping. Then lights, in the middle of nowhere, the light of camp Bastion! Shower! 8pm, just in time for the late dinner service. The tanks stop, we jump off. Everybody just rushed to the canteen. We arrived there like angry animals, covered with dust, bearded, red eyes, we ate, and ate, and ate.

To read an editor’s view on ’embedding’ see ‘To embed or not to embed’.

Diary of a video embed – Part 3

This is the third posting from Laurent Hamida who is embedded with the British Army in south Afghanistan. 

A few hours later, when I woke up, everything was quiet, the desert had not changed, but we had the visit of a new friend: an icy, dusty wind.

We were all looking like ghosts, keeping our eyes down to the ground and moving slowly. Went to see the Royal Marines to talk about the following day. They told me the plan was to move into the central district of Garm Sheer. I could choose where and with whom I wanted to be. I chose the Marines of course. They trusted me, told me everything about the plan. It had taken me one week to get there, not bad.

Before I sank deep into my sleeping bag at night, the commander told me to be ready at 03:10 AM.

Woke up at 02:30, cold, cold. Beautiful sky, almost full moon, and the stars…

Silence, nobody was talking, everybody was packing their things, nothing to be left behind.

Went to join my platoon, got into the Wiking and waited to move forward. We drove for about an hour, then stopped. The radio broke the silence: one of the tanks had a visual on 15 enemies, it asked for permission to engage them.

Diary of a video embed – Part 2

This is the second posting from Laurent Hamida who is ‘embedded’ with the British Army in south Afghanistan 

After a good night, I went to meet the royal marines who where staying around our place, trying to build some contacts. Had a few words with the c/o [commanding officer], a major – small build but you could feel a tough guy – then had a conversation with a sergeant-major who has been with the marines for 20 years, quite a character. A lot of blah blah, nothing of any importance, just a way to get close.

The sergeant looked at me in the eye and said with a smile: you ve got interesting tattoos; well, everybody has a past. Then he introduced me to a captain who was going on reco [reconnaisance] in the district center in a couple of hours.

In the fighting holes, three marines were sleeping, another one was cleaning his gun. The captain told me about their mission. He was very young, one could smell his force. The men seemed to love him. He introduced me to the British rifle, asked me if I wanted a gun, after I refused politely we moved on.

I found myself in the front of a funny vehicle called a Wiking – a kind of APC [Armoured Personnel Carrier] with tracks. The faces of the guys were serious, I could have felt safe, but I knew better. We disembarked on the outskirts of the village, then walked on.

The usual progression in a hostile environment: some covering the others who were advancing, it always makes good pictures. Running, waiting, watching and running. The first incoming fire arrived: mortar, I guessed it was 82 metres, the captain confirmed it. Running for cover.

Trying to find a way to get on some roofs to have a view on the area. Finally found an Afghan ladder! Climbed on a roof. We were taking a lot of incoming Kalash fire, the enemy was clearly not far at all. Then the marines started to open up, as they say, with everything they had. Light machine gun, rocket launcher, a big show. But the incoming were still coming. 

Driving on a frozen sea

Editors note: Deborah Zabarenko, the Reuters Environment Correspondent pictured left, is reporting in Antarctica on a National Science Foundation Grant. You can read her articles here 

When you drive on a frozen sea in Antarctica, you learn to respect the weather. Even if the temperature is below the freezing mark, and there are no clouds on the horizon, and the experienced folks assure you that the ice road has been checked and rechecked by safety experts, and you know the ice is about 15 feet (4.5 meters) thick — well, sometimes you worry.

There has been beautiful spring weather this week at McMurdo Station, the coastal base for many U.S. science operations here. So an offer to ride out onto the sea ice with scientists was irresistible. We saw an Emperor penguin, a pair of Adelie penguins and seals lolling about on the ice.

But seals are not always a good sign for sea ice drivers, as the scientists knew: where there are seals on the ice, there must be a hole in the ice that the seals use to get out of the water. And much of the ice “road” flagged for use by research vehicles was messily tracked and covered with slushy pools of melted ice.

We were in a vehicle called a Mattrack, which looks like a heavy pickup truck with triangular tank-like tracks where the wheels would normally go. The driver was picking his way through the melt pools when the rear tracks broke through the surface of the ice, down about two or three feet. We were in no danger, but it was startling to realize that all of a sudden, a few miles (km) from our home base, we were not going anywhere under our own power.

The driver called for assistance, and all got back to base without mishap. One comforting note: at least there was no question that the vehicle and its passengers and driver would have to stay out after dark. The Mattrack was towed back to McMurdo Station.

Diary of a video embed

Obviously all those who let you go with them believe your work will give them something back. A military leader once told me, “I am happy to have you around, I will not try to control what you do, I just want you to show what is going on here.” Then the facts proved those had not just been mere words.

So my first embedded assignment, in the South of Afghanistan with the British troops, I jumped on it. Not the slightest chance, today, of anyone working in the south of Afghanistan on his own!

My own experience with the Taliban was enough for me not to hesitate for one minute. My first impression: surprise, starting in London. Departure on a direct military flight: England, Kabul, Helmand, everything perfectly organised: the ultimate dream.

In all my previous experiences with Afghanistan, making it to the country had already been a nightmare in itself. Arrival in Kabul at 3pm, donning bulletproof vests and helmets, very funny, but we had to play the game and we dutifuly followed the pilot’s instructions… I couldn’t avoid thinking of the Afghan Antonovs packed with ammunition on which I used to arrive before.

After the welcoming ceremonies they took us on a Hercules that would take us to Bastion, the main British military base in Afghanistan, and then to Khandahar. It was going to be non-stop to Bastion, said the steward, a soldier. I almost laughed at the idea of arriving in Bastion by night.

After a warm welcome and an excellent dinner offered by the PIO [Public Information Officer] colonel, there were maps and a briefing. Then he announced that the next morning we would be leaving with a light tank squad to spend 10 days in the south.

At that point, the commander who would lead our pack entered the room: a several-days-old beard, red-eyed, calm voice, strong handshake. He asked about our gear, very professional, he wanted to make sure we had what was necessary to spend 10 days in the desert.

Vast expanse of white: Landing on the ice

Editor’s note: Deborah Zabarenko, Reuters Environment Correspondent based in Washington, is reporting on Antarctica on a National Science Foundation Grant. Gearing up for her trip, she concluded earlier this week, that nobody looks great in insulated bib overalls. Here’s her report upon arriving on the ice…

About halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica, the U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane that was carrying our group of scientists, contract workers, engineers, filmmakers and journalists got a bit chilly. That was also about the time that the clouds parted and we crowded around the few small portholes on the big cargo jet to look down and see sea ice — big, flat, angular pieces of it, set in a deep blue ocean. That meant we were finally getting close to our destination, McMurdo Station, the biggest U.S. scientific base on the southern continent.

As we got closer, the portholes revealed dark-capped mountains set amid a vast expanse of white: the Ross Ice Shelf where we would land. We set down at Pegasus landing area after a five hour flight that had started in early morning darkness in Christchurch, New Zealand, and ended in dazzling sunshine with a view of a live antarctic volcano, Mount Erebus.

The temperature was about 28 degrees F (-2 degrees C), warm enough to walk around with our heavy parkas open. We piled into a distinctive vehicle called Ivan the Terrabus for the short trip from the landing area to the base, a collection of utilitarian buildings nestled against a dark brown rocky slope. Water from melting snow ran muddy down hill toward the ice shelf. Christmas decorations – big candy canes and wreaths – hung on posts on the main drag of the base.

At 8 p.m. the sun was still high in the sky, a little more than two weeks before austral mid-summer. Dark curtains in the dormitories seem designed to keep out the light and simulate a sleep-inducing night in an environment where the sun will not really set for months.