Shortwave Report for Central Asia, Part 2
posted by Susan Stark (part 1 is below)

COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME

For those who’ve listened to shortwave radio for a while, this is a fancy term for World Time, or Zulu Time, or Greenwich Mean Time. GMT is the standard by which all other time zones begin and are measured by; it is literally the World’s Time.

It’s also a pain in the ass, because it is written out in 24 hour notation, which is something Americans don’t use unless they’ve been in the military. More often than not, a shortwave broadcaster or program uses GMT when stating what time a program or transmission comes on. It’s easier to do that than to write out all the time zones the particular broadcast can be heard in. GMT time is constant, it has no daylight-savings adjustment.

As I write this blog, the Local Time is 5pm here in New York. That is 1700 hours in military time. New York is in the Eastern time zone, which is four hours behind GMT. So in order to figure out current GMT, I must add four hours to the military time, which is 2100 hours. This 2100 hours is the time *everywhere*.

Central Asia, or the “Stans” specifically, has three time zones in it. Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and the western part of Kazakhstan is five hours (+5) ahead of GMT. Kyrgyzstan and eastern Kazakhstan is six hours (+6) ahead, with these two countries the only ones with Daylight Savings. Afghanistan has it’s own unique time zone–it’s four-and-a-half hours (+4:30) ahead. So when the BBC gives it’s program listing, it looks something like this:

FREQUENCIES: AFGHANISTAN, IRAN & CENTRAL ASIA All Times GMT

< From To Days Frequency (kHz) 01:00 03:00 Daily 7320 01:00 02:00 Daily 9410* 02:00 07:00 Daily 11760 02:00 02:30 Daily 1413 03:00 04:00 Daily 1413 03:00 06:00 Daily 15575 07:00 07:30 Daily 15575 07:30 09:00 Sat-Sun 15575 09:00 15:00 Daily 15575 15:00 17:00 Daily 11760 12:00 16:00 Daily 15310* 13:00 14:00 Daily 1314 18:00 20:00 Daily 5955 18:30 20:00 Daily 9485 18:00 18:30 Daily 1413 19:00 21:00 Daily 1413

* South Asia programmes

So to find out from here when the BBC will be broadcasting in Dushanbe on the 7320kHz frequency above, take it’s GMT time (1am) and add five hours. BBC broadcasts on this frequency at 6am Local Time. This 11760kHz frequency is trickier. The 1500 hours is harder to convert to standard notation, but in any case it is 3pm GMT. Add five hours to 3pm GMT, and it’s 8pm Local Time. To find out GMT from Local Time in Dushanbe, subtract the current time by five hours, and convert to military time notation.

Here is a military/standard notation conversion chart:

That’s it for now.

Your Man in Istanbul

The delay leaving JFK was four hours, and it was at the gate–but after boarding. But Turkish Airlines was notable for what it didn’t do. It didn’t keep giving us pointless updates (“we’re 38th in line for take-off”). When it was time to go, we went. They didn’t act like people were unreasonable for getting up to pee, and when it was time to take-off they didn’t freak out about making everyone sit down posthaste. And they didn’t forget to crank up the A/C or dole out lots of beverages while we were waiting. Memo to American carriers: free fluids will keep trapped passengers happy for hours.

A day later and that peeled-grapes-eye feeling later, I’m in Istanbul, the greatest achievement of Islamic civilization. An amazing world-class city with layer upon layer of history, architectural and otherwise, no one should die without having seen it.

Tomorrow I’ll go see “Spider-Man 3.” (Istanbul has a highly developed movie culture.) Then, it’s off to Dushanbe, where blogging may or may not be possible.

Proof!
posted by TheDon

from Salon

I think the greatest proof there is no God is that most of the Ramones are dead and most of the Rolling Stones aren’t.

indeed. In the same vein, I remember well the night that John Lennon died. I was watching Monday Night Football with a friend, and his immediate reaction to Howard Cosell’s shocking announcement was “Why couldn’t it have been Ringo?”

Presumably argued without irony…
posted by TheDon

from Salon’s WarRoom

Libby’s lawyers argue that the assertion Plame was covert, based on an unclassified summary of her classified file, “is tantamount to asking the Court and Mr. Libby to take the government’s word on Ms. Wilson’s status, based on secret evidence, without affording Mr. Libby an opportunity to rebut it. Such a request offends traditional notions of fairness and due process.”

ummmm…… yeeeessss….. Yes it does… Remember the scene in Canadian Bacon?
“There’s a time to think, and a time to act. And this, gentlemen, is no time to think. “

no, wait… not that one… This one:

“Sir, the Helms amendment and NSC order 725 both specifically prohibit the use of Omega Force against Caucasians. “

Taking the government’s word based on secret evidence without an opportunity to rebut is not specifically proscribed for white non-muslims, but it kinda goes without saying, doesn’t it?

TGIF! Drinks are on me!
posted by TheDon
Friday means a drink recipe. Today is an original from me, which makes up for its simplicity by being really good.

Grape Sodapop
fill a tall bar glass with ice cubes
pour in 3oz grape-flavored vodka
fill the glass with club soda

Vary the amount of alcohol according to taste, natch. This should give about a 2-1 ratio of soda to vodka. It’s a great refresher on a hot summer day. Cheers!

Let Me Introduce Myself

I’m Susan Stark, another guest blogger along with TheDon. I’m still gettin’ hang of this bloggin’ stuff, and because I’m still gettin’ the hang of it, my first post is down below this one. Hope you enjoy the “Shortwave Report for Central Asia, Part 1”.

Ciao

It’s like Memorial Day once a month!
posted by TheDon

Fort Lewis will now hold a memorial service for its fallen soldiers every month. Patriotism! Yeah!

Fort Lewis, which this month has suffered its worst losses of the war, will no longer conduct individual memorial ceremonies for soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead the post will hold one ceremony for all soldiers killed each month, the Fort Lewis acting commanding general, Brig. Gen. William Troy, wrote in a memo to commanders and staff last week.

Wait. What?!?!? Could there be any stronger indication of just how fucked up things are than this? NO INDIVIDUAL SERVICES?!?!? FOR SOLDIERS KILLED IN WAR?!?!? They have GOT to be kidding.

Give me a moment. I’m going to go pound my head on the wall until this makes sense.
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Ok, I understand now. I guess if they still don’t have body armor and the right humvees four years into the war, we give them contaminated water, pay them 1/10 of what we pay the mercenaries contractors, we treat the injured soldiers like shit, and there’s really no good reason for them to be there, what the hell does a group memorial service add to the outrage? A drop in the ocean. Forget I even mentioned it. I’m sure the media will.

We’ve been too passive and deferential to Iraqi sovereignty
posted by TheDon

I have to admit, that’s EXACTLY what I have thought. Good to see that our military leaders on the ground in Iraq are catching up.

from WSJ:

But even the staunchest supporters of the “surge” strategy acknowledge that the U.S. must do more to push political reconciliation in Baghdad among feuding Sunnis and Shiites. One debate roiling Baghdad now concerns whether the political process is stalled because elected officials are merely inneffectual or because they are more interested in advancing their sectarian agendas than in governance. The strategy review conducted for Gen. Petraeus seems to conclude it is a bit of both. The report argues that Iraq is essentially a failed state and that the U.S. must devote far more effort to making Iraq’s ministries work, said officials who participated in the review.

“We’ve been too passive and deferential to Iraqi sovereignty,” says one U.S. military official involved in a review of the surge for Gen. Petraeus. It also recommends that the U.S. take a more active role in “isolating the irreconcilable Iraqi government officials from the reconcilable ones” by demanding they be replaced, said the military official who was involved in the review. Stephen Biddle, who served on the panel, said he believes Iraq is in the midst of a low-grade sectarian civil war and that U.S. forces should be used as leverage to compel Sunnis and Shiites to reach an accord.

Because nothing will win the hearts and minds of the people of Iraq, or bestow more legitimacy on their government than having the USofA pick their government ministers. Idiots.

also from that article:

Pentagon officials and the White House are developing rough proposals to begin withdrawing tens of thousands of soldiers sometime next year as a way of defusing some of the public fury over the war and making it less of an issue in next year’s presidential and congressional elections.

Nice to know that the main focus is on winning the next presidential election “meeting our moral obligations to the people of Iraq”, and “fighting them over there or they will follow us home.”

Hillary is right
posted by TheDon

The right is having a collective aneurysm over Hillary Clinton’s assertion that it’s time to replace an “on your own” society with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity.

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined a broad economic vision Tuesday, saying it’s time to replace an “on your own” society with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity. The Democratic senator said what the Bush administration touts as an ownership society really is an “on your own” society that has widened the gap between rich and poor.

“I prefer a ‘we’re all in it together’ society,” she said. “I believe our government can once again work for all Americans. It can promote the great American tradition of opportunity for all and special privileges for none.” That means pairing growth with fairness, she said, to ensure that the middle-class succeeds in the global economy, not just corporate CEOs.

“There is no greater force for economic growth than free markets. But markets work best with rules that promote our values, protect our workers and give all people a chance to succeed,” she said. “Fairness doesn’t just happen. It requires the right government policies.”

This is being argued as a bad thing. She’s a (gasp!) SOCIALIST!!!

Apparently, if we just let the magical free market work and get the government out of the way, prosperity will cover the land, godly people will prosper and all will be well in the world. Last night I saw Pat Buchanan smirkingly ask, “What does she want to do? Regulate the markets?” Then he laughed his maniacal laugh.

Well, yeah.

People need rules, structures and penalties or BAD things happen. During the monolithic Republican control of the government there was no oversight. Some people in the Executive Branch took the opportunity to grab power and corrupt our government at a breathtaking rate. It didn’t help matters that the “news” outlets were uninterested in pursuing any real corruption or constitutional violations.

Wiretapping. Phony voter fraud prosecutions. Ignoring corruption by fellow Republicans when possible. Putting talentless political hacks in charge of everything. Editing scientific findings to comply with political agendas. No-bid contracts. No-result contracts. Lying to Congress when they even bothered to show up. Lack of oversight and amoral, power-hungry politicians and businessmen combined to create a perfect storm of corruption.

With rules, capitalism is a wonderful economic system which forces innovation, creates wealth and makes a nation strong. Without rules, capitalism is a system which will drive labor costs as low as possible (slaves are preferable), create monopolies, market unsafe products, create unsafe working conditions and create wealth only for the thinnest upper crust. For the Republicans out there, I will point out that these are all BAD things.

Without a sense of community, of shared responsibility, a ‘we’re all in it together’ society, if you will, we can’t create the structures which allow people to prosper. If people don’t think that their hard work will earn them the ability to live happily and retire comfortably, they won’t work. And why would they.

People need to know that their sacrifices will pay off for them and/or their children. They need to know that the whole society (as represented by their government) cares about the $4/gallon gas that is cutting into their budget. They will conserve and scrimp if they know everyone is pulling together to fix the problem. Instead they get cynical manipulation of markets, the highest profits in the history of the world, and $400 million retirement packages. And contempt. Lots of contempt.

It’s the kind of situation that causes people to show up at the polls with more than a little anger. And a sense of shared purpose and responsibilty.