Today is the seventy-ninth anniversary of “a day that will live forever in infamy.” On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the United States Naval Base at Honolulu, Hawaii and brought the United States into the Second World War. After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. geared up for war, and the country never looked back. Today, as we live in another period of uncertainty, but we owe our lives and success as a nation to the more than 16 million Americans who left their homes and traveled over the world to protect freedom. Today, only about 325,000 of them are left, and estimates say they’re dying at the rate of nearly 300 per day. Today, it’s appropriate to remember them and the sacrifices they made for us.

Thank you, Uncle Van Wunderlich, for your bravery and for putting your life on the line so that we could remain free.  I will never forget.

HONOLULU — The Coast Guard completed a 30 day demonstration and evaluation of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) off Oahu in early November.

The focus of the test was to explore how current and emerging technologies might be used to enhance maritime domain awareness in remote regions. The test also showed ways USVs with assorted sensor capabilities might support the Coast Guard’s many missions around the globe ranging from search and rescue, to law enforcement.

“It’s clear that autonomous technology is a growing industry, and has great potential to enhance Coast Guard operations,” said Cmdr. Blair Sweigart, the demonstration’s director from the Coast Guard Research and Development Center. “Combined with artificial intelligence algorithms, unmanned systems could be a game changer.”

During the test the Coast Guard examined USVs from Saildrone and Spatial Integrated Systems to understand their capabilities and effectiveness. The USVs participated in a variety of operational simulations to detect and alert the Coast Guard to both legitimate and nefarious behavior. Read more

In the last edition before the Thanksgiving holiday, we told you about the mysterious monolith Utah wildlife officers spotted during an aerial bighorn sheep count in a portion of southeastern Utah. The metal monolith, approximately 12 feet tall, kicked off quite a round of speculation as to its origins. One school of thought attributed it to the late sculptor John McCracken. Whatever the source, it appears the monolith has returned to it. On Saturday, officials said it had been taken down- but not by them. No word- yet- on who, what, why, when or where…

We’ll be back Monday, November 30th right here.

TWO RIVERS, Wis. – CHARD continues to grow its best-in-class line of processing products with the introduction of durable, stainless-steel dehydrators, ideal for outdoors enthusiasts, health-conscious cooks and even craft makers. The stainless-steel dehydrators comes in both an 8- and 16- tray configurations, depending on the size of the job.

The dehydrator features a simple and easy-to-use LED digital display and a powerful drying system. The large fan blows evenly heated air evenly across all trays, eliminating the need for tray rotation. The clear, tempered glass door provides easy viewing, while the magnetic closure makes loading and unloading quick and easy. The dehydrator includes a unique non-stick drip sheet that catches dripping liquid for easy cleanup. Additionally, the dehydrator features a digital timer and thermostat (30 minutes to 24 hours and 35-80ºC / 95-176ºF) allowing users total control when it comes to preserving meats, vegetables, herbs and fruits. The Smart Save function conveniently maintains previous settings for repeated use. Read more

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has recommended 14 community and state parks, trails and sports facilities across the state to share $5,441,600 in Land and Water Conservation Fund grants.

“The Land and Water Conservation Fund is pivotal in supporting projects that improve the quality of outdoor recreation for communities across Michigan,” said Dan Lord, DNR grants manager. “This fund is an excellent example of successful collaboration among federal, state and local government partners who are focused on bringing real-world health and social benefits to residents and visitors.” Read more