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Making friends

Leo Shane — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:58:19 +0000

Another day, another war council meeting at the White House

Leo Shane — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:08:05 +0000

White House officials just announced another meeting of President Obama's war council tonight. It's the ninth session since the summer for the group. Vice President Biden, top Pentagon leaders, Secretary Clinton, military leaders in Afghanistan and U.S. ambassadors from the region will be on hand (or, available via videoconference) to discuss once again the way forward for the U.S. in Afghanistan.

Does that mean a decision on troop levels has finally been made?

Last Friday White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said no formal announcement of the strategy will be made until after the Thanksgiving holiday, and numerous news agencies have reported that the president is still weeks away from making a final call.

Tropical Storm 26W, # 2

Dave Ornauer — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:22:32 +0000

8:25 p.m. Guam time Nov. 23: 26W was upgraded to a tropical storm by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center with its latest update at 9 a.m. GMT. Latest public advisory by the National Weather Service Guam still shows no watches or warnings in effect. 26W should gradually pick up strength as it curves west-southwest of the Marianas by late Wednesday, forecast to pass 145 miles west-southwest of Big Navy at 5 p.m. Wednesday packing sustained 75-mph winds and 92-mph gusts at its center.

SportsBlog Championship Series, title game

Dave Ornauer — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:38:20 +0000

Finally, we give closure to the football season, as promised, with the SportsBlog Championship Series title game, the apex of the 12-team, all-inclusive Pacific high school playoff for all comers. George Washington, Guam Interscholastic Football League champion, visiting Kadena, four-time Okinawa Activities Council and two-time Far East Class AA champion.

And awaaaaayyyyyyyyy we go:

Kadena strikes first and keeps the upper hand for the first 2 1/2 quarters. With the Geckos' defense keying on speedy Thomas McDonald and Shariff Coleman, Panthers quarterback Stan Schrock uses several traps and cutback handoffs to fullback Lotty Smith to move the ball; Smith scores twice, while Schrock scores on a sneak and pitches a 5-yard flare pass to Coleman for a score.

Terrific things come in twos: What we learned in Pacific high school basketball Week 1.0

Dave Ornauer — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:43:39 +0000

Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer tries to contain the ringing in his ears from his first visit Sunday to a Basketball Japan League game, and all its noisy trappings:

-- No doubt, Robert Bliss must thank the PCS gods repeatedly for being so good to his Kadena Panthers boys. Not just one, but two star players moved in from Brussels American, half-brothers Jeremy Howell, a senior, and Jason Sumpter, a junior. Howell averaged 16 points and Sumpter just over 20 and the two combined for 65 rebounds as the Panthers swept their first three games, 92-58 Friday over Koza, 76-55 Saturday over Kitanakagusuku and 68-57 Sunday over Kubasaki.

-- This was a team that was going to be very, very good without the brothers.

Tropical Depression 26W, # 1

Dave Ornauer — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:34:51 +0000

4:40 p.m. Guam time Sunday, Nov. 22: Hello, yeah, it's been awhile. Not much. How about you? Looks like Tropical Depression 26W, a little late in the season, has formed west-southwest of Chu'uk and, after a zig-zag walk of a start, is forecast to track west-southwest of Guam early Thursday morning. Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasts call for 26W to pass 160 miles south-southwest of Big Navy at 3 a.m. Thursday, packing 69-mph sustained winds and 86-mph gusts at its center, just below typhoon strength. First public advisory for Guam was issued at 1 p.m.; no watches or warnings in effect at this writing.

Of Heaven, Hell and the Bon Marche'

Terri Barnes — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:26:38 +0000

When I sent out a request via the Spouse Calls mailing list for stories of unusual ways military families have spent the holidays, I expected to hear about sad days spent in lonely hotel rooms, empty houses or even in airport terminals. Instead, I got a collection of fun and imaginative ways to make holidays memorable any place in the world.

Patrolling the edge of the world

Leo Shane — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:48:50 +0000

Hasan court-martial could take a year, execution could take another decade

Leo Shane — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:09:05 +0000

Investigators still face months of work before the start of the court-martial for Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the psychiatrist accused of gunning down more than 40 fellow soldiers at Fort Hood earlier this month. But on Friday a panel of military legal experts said that's just the start of a lengthy process for his team of attorney's and the Fort Hood community.

Members of the National Institute of Military Justice said despite the complexity of the case -- multiple victims, widespread media coverage, and a defendant still facing serious injuries -- they still expect military officials to complete Hasan's court-martial by the end of 2010.

However, if sentenced to death Hasan's execution would not be nearly as speedy. Attorney Brian Baldrate said the average wait on the military's "death row" is eight years, and a case like Hasan's could take much longer.

First blush at Pacific high school basketball Week 1.0

Dave Ornauer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:21:02 +0000

UPDATED at 11:50 p.m. Friday, 6:20 p.m. Saturday.

Season openers in high school hoops: Friday, Boys, Kinnick 54, Perry 38 at Iwakuni. Edgren 51, Yokota 47 at Misawa. E.J. King 59, Zama 56 at Zama. Kadena 92, Koza 58 on Okinawa. Girls, Zama 30, E.J. King 14. Edgren 52, Yokota 34 at Misawa. Kinnick 81, Perry 18. Itoman 51, Kadena 27.

Saturday, Boys, Kadena 76, Kitanakagusuku 55, Kubasaki 93, Chatan 71 on Okinawa; St. Mary's International 50, E.J. King 45, Robert D. Edgren 46, Yokota 36, Nile C. Kinnick 73, Matthew C. Perry 50 in Japan. Girls, Kitanakagusuku 56, Kadena 29 on Okinawa; Kinnick 52, Perry 9, Edgren 56, Yokota 35 and Seisen International 38, E.J. King 15 in Japan.