In the Navy (virtualy)

In the Navy (virtualy)

By: C.J. Ellington


Ever wanted to be in the military but never
got the chance? In Second Life there are many
virtual military group's you can join. (More
on other group's in a future blog post.) 

US Navy Second Life (USNSL) is the virtual
equivalant of the real life US Navy. There
are as many jobs in the SL version as there
are in the real life version. From weapons to
naval aviaters. But first before you chose
your specialty, a recrute goes through RTC
(Recrute Training Center) or OCS (Officer
Candidate School). Both are time consuming.

Recrute's spend five days 2 hours a day to
get their first assignment and rank. Recrutes
train in such things as use of vice weapons,
swimming, guard duty, and uniforms. Officer
candidates go through four weeks 2 hours a
day. They study navy history, navy
leadership, rank structure and boat
navigation in addition to the recrutes. After
graduation you chose your assignment and
specialty.

If you think the classes are over
after RTC, think again. SAR (Search and
Rescue) is typicly four weeks 3 days a week 2
hour's a day. Navy aviation program is
typicly three months.

Like in real life there
are several difrent fleet's. All three of the
fleet's have their own speacialty and
uniqueness. Second fleet concentrates on
search and rescue. 7th fleet is more aviation
as it is based off the USS Kitty Hawk in a
vietnam era sim. Required hour's differ from
fleet's.

If your interested in joining USNSL
you may contact Izzy Harcassle on the SL
grid. Anchers away.

Having a field day.

     Once a year, usualy   the last weekend in June, HAM radio operators from the US and Canada get together. The goal of field day, is to practice setting up communications as if it was an emergency.

     Thousands of HAM radio clubs get together in parks, and other public areas. The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network SATERN, is one of those groups.

     SATERN covers emergency communications for the Salvation Army. This particuler SATERN  group covers San Bernardino and Riverside counties in southern California. 

     The SATERN group set up four HAM radio stations. One on 10 meters. One on 20 meters PSK Didgital mode. One on 40 meters CW or morse code, and one on 15 meters morse code.

     The extreme hot tempertures were a factor in only making a hand full of contacts. But, friendship and learning as you go were the order of the day. 

     The three wire antennas were built on the fly, to match SWR of the band they were covering. And to top it all off, hamburgers were the lunch of the day.

     Field day lasts 24 hours from 11am California time Saturday, to 11am Sunday. The SATERN group pulled up steaks about 5pm. 

     If you are a licensed HAM, SATERN runs a 2 meter net on Keller Peak Repeater 146.385 on Sunday nights 8pm local time. Guests are encouraged to check in.

Phone home

ET phone home. Or in this case HAMs from the JLPVA ARC (Jerry L Pettis Veterans hospital
radio club.) The HAM radio club at the Loma Linda veterans hospital, has been working on
a project to get voice over ip phone system set up.

Finnaly, it is being put into use in the VA Radio room. This VOIP system or "mesh" system, was set up by the clubs technical advisor Larry Anderson W6LAR.

Mesh network consists of a didgital phone, wireless router, and a dish antenna. With that you can
set up your own private network.

The Loma Linda VA radio club has links set up in the radio room at the hospital, as well as 3
other members houses. To use the system you have to have it set up on the other end.

Once set up you can do everything from make phone calls to go on the internet all with minimal
cost. In order to use the mesh system, you have to be licensed as an amature radio
operater.

When all else fails this system is able to continue working to get communications through. For more information regarding The Loma Linda VA Radio Club or the mesh network, contact Larry Anderson W6LAR on the 445.340 repeater.

AIL/KOL on point

     The AIL/KOL points system is not as complacated as it seems. In this article we will explain tha points system so you will better understand how it works.

     According to Dash, the AIL game and points system is based off a 1990's game called Mercs. On Mercs, you can earn up to 20 point per mission. The Rules came from e-wrestling handlers.

     In AIL/KOL, the points are slightly higher. You can gain any points between 20-30. All points are based off mission performance.

     The winner of each mission gets 25-30 points.  Everyone else gets under 25 points. At the end of each season/mission, it is voted on by Ichiro. He doesn't participate in the missions in order to keep it fair according to Dash.

     "AIL has always been a coopertive writing game." Dash said. The points system is ment to give closure to the mission. It is also a motivator for people to participate in the RP's/ missions.

     At the end of each mission the points voted on then reset for the new mission. To be a part of the game and join AIL (Adventures in Loathing), go to http://z11.invisionfree.com/AiL/index.php?

     

     

     

     

AIL/KOL rollover mission4

AIL/KOL Crime wave

By: Christin


With a new mission comes new challenges for AIL/KOL chairacters. In this the fourth
mission of the AIL/KOL realm, They deal with thieves. Not your average thieves. These
thieves are stealing important papers.

The new mission starts out with Dotty the assistant at a fishery coming to her boss
explaining to him about stolen documents. The documents that were stolen from the safe
included names, dates and money of services renderd in return for favers.

In another part of AIL, in a village town called Degrassi, Importent reaserch has been stolen from Gnoll Professor Thurgood. My Chairacters John and Sherri are sent to Degrassi to recover the
missing research.

The third and finnal theft starting out the new mission, includes security plans stolen from Gnoll Village. The plans include transportation of their goods and security plans. The council of Loatham
met to discuss the thefts.

To read the full details of the rollover, see here: http://z11.invisionfree.com/AiL/index.phpshowtopic=826

Keep reading the blog for the latest AIL/KOL updates in missions and other AIL/KOL news.

Serving those who served us

     In this day and times it's hard to think that anyone could possibly have time for such things as volunteering. With peoples busy schedules and constant texting and use of their cell phones. But on the other hand, people do it every day.

     As you walk into the Loma Linda VA Ambulatory Care Center or ACC for short, you most likely notice someone there to greet you and ask you if you need assistance. That is just one of the many jobs available for volunteers that volunteer at the Veterans Administration.

     Veterans who come to the facility has a wide range of needs. Most common is the need to be transported in wheelchairs to and from their car or appointments. At any given day the VA volunteer office at the ACC averages three to five calls in a four to six our period. That's not including the ones that were intercepted by volunteers wondering the building.

     On any given day the ACC is staffed with five to eight volunteers. Not all volunteers handle wheelchairs and give directions. Some jobs volunteers may do include; office work/answering phones, calling patients to remind them of their appointments, checking patients in at the check in desk, and any other job that may need done.

     So why volunteer?  VA volunteers have the attitude that they are there to serve those who have served us. Some are veterans themselves, wanting to give back to their fellow veterans. An added bonus is each volunteer who works for four hours gets a mean from the cafateria. In addition, the VA Volunteer Service has an anual awards cerimony and lunch for all the volunteers.

     Convienced yet? If interested in giving up a few hours a week of your time to the veterans, contact Pat Morin at the Loma Linda Veterans main hospital. 

Adventures in Loathing

Adventures In Loathing


Recently I have gotten into a role playing
game called Adventures in Loathing or AIL for
short. AIL takes place in a midevil fantasy realm where you work twards a goal a mission.

The goal is not to beat the mission but to work with other players in the finnal for that perticuler mission. Curently AIL is finishing up it's third mission.

The third mission was broken up into two diffrent quests. A search mission and a rescue
mission. The search mission was to search for the chairacter toot oriole. The rescue
mission was to rescue Dash, Aleena, and Catrina. My chairacters John and Sherri Dunn
were on the rescue mission.

My chairacters are a commando couple from another universe. While looking for the missing trio, John and Sherri get into verious fights with bad guys ranging from low level thugs to high profile.

The trio were captured by space bugbear but escaped. While on the hunt, John and Sherri
come accross an ice girl named Becky. Her and Sir Fumbles aide the couple in the mission
and in the akward oddities of the new universe.

On the search mission Sassy meets up with an old friend and is accompanied by
her NPL (none player) team.

For more information on AIL or want to get involved,

here are a few links. Main Forum:

http://z11.invisionfree.com/AiL
FAQ, handbook & Application:

http://z11.invisionfree.com/AiL/index.php?

showforum=2
Plyer bios:

http://z11.invisionfree.com/AiL/index.php?

showforum=7
Current season:

http://z11.invisionfree.com/AiL/index.php?

showforum=63
Archive website: http://ga.iwarp.com/AIL

I will keep everyone updated.

To honor women

To honor our women


March 1st marks the begaining of Women history month. Verious places honor women in verious capcities.

The Loma Linda Veterans Hospital and clinics, honor women veterans each year by displaying boots. Each pair of boots are decorated by the women who wore them.

There are even short stories next to the boots by the women explaining their service to their country. One woman who had her boots on display is a former Navy photogropher.

The displays are put together by the VAs womens health coordnator Lisa Royball and has been taking place every march for the past five years.

The Rouged One

The Rouged one


Rouge One a star wars story is best discribed
as the prequal to Star Wars a new hope. Twards
the end you will know why.

First off if you haven't seen Star Wars a new
hope (the one from the 70s) I suggest you see
it before seeing Rogue One.

Rogue One takes place in the Star Wars
timeline, as the Death Star is being tested.

The main goal in Rouge One is to steal the
plans for the the Death Star.

In this film there are new chairacters as
well as some familure faces and names. You
will recognise the obvious Darth Vador wich
has a small role but plays a significant
part. Princess Lea also makes a small
apearance at the end.

The main focus is not on them. It is on the
team of rouge Rebals: Felicity Jones (Jyn
Erso), Diego Luna (Cassian Andor), Alan
Turdyk (K2SO).

It starts out with Jyn, the dauter of an
Empire science officer, being captured by the
Rebelion. In order to be free she agrees to
help the Rebals go after her father.

Change of plans quickly come into play when a
city they had been in was destroid by the
Death Star. The new mission suddenly became
getting the plans for the death star.

Even though there was a team involved, the
film primarily focused on Filicity Jones
chairacter.

There were some camidic moments among the
battle scenes, wich by the way the Rebals got
their butts kicked badly.

There was one member of the team Donnie Yen
who plaid a blind Jedi, always saving the day
till the end.

Even Princess Leia was in it briefly at the
end. She was plaid by Ingild Deila. Certainly
not Carri Fisher but for the few lines she
had she held her own.

My only complaint with the whole Star Wars
franchise is that everything is not in order
in wich it sould be. All in all Rouge One
held it's own with a great story line and
great acting as well as leading into what we
know as A New Hope.

SATERN at 20

The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) is celebrating their twenty years in Sothern California as a HAM radio service to the Salvation Army.

The 20th SATERN siminar took place at the San Bernerdino corp and featured three main speakers. Speakers talked on subjicts including, Digital modes of HAM radio, SATERN, and being prepared mentaly as well as physicly for a disaster.

Meeting started at 9am and featured door prizes during the day. Prizes included tool kits, watt meters, and even two new duel band hand held radios.

In attendance were thirty people including both members and non members. Non members got a chance at seeing  what SATERN is all about and members got to meet people they have only heard on the radio.

The local boy scout troop assisted in serving hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch as part of their marit badges. After lunch they recieved reccognition certificates from Paul Hagar AE6TR the SATERN coordnater.

If interested in joining SATERN, send an email to w1sat@yahoo.com or participate in their weekly net on Keller Peak 146.385 + PL 147.2.