Driving the 2009 Acura TSX

Two weeks ago my 2004 Acura TSX came down with a severe case of broke down-itis, and the dealer was kind enough to loan me a 2009 model while mine was being fixed.



I have to say, it's a nice ride.  I'm not all that crazy about the color, but what can you do?  I do like the 5 spoke wheels better than the 7's on mine, and Acura certainly gave the new model a more aggressive look.  However, it has the same engine as the 2004 model, and this one is an automatic where I drive the 6-speed manual.

Inside, it's a whole different story.  They threw in all the extras including GPS Nav, XM Radio, USB for your iPod, Bluetooth cell phone connection, and just about everything else.  The transmission has a sports shift mode using paddle wheels behind the steering wheel and most of the other amenities can be controlled from the steering wheel as well.  They threw in memory positions for the driver's seat, and even the side view mirrors reposition themselves when you are backing up.  Just in case the rear-view camera lets you down, I guess.

Overall, an enjoyable driving experience - however I am ready to get mine back.  You just can't replace the feeling of control driving a good standard gives you.

Posted by: jcallery at 07:01 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Tesla Roadsters crash like any other car

I'm a big fan of the Tesla electric Roadster.  My thought is if you want people to buy an electric car, then you need to build an electric car people actually want to buy.  And Tesla is the first company to do it.  So, it really pained me to see this.

Needless to say, if they are looking for a buyer for a 'reconditioned' Tesla, I would be happy to talk with them.

Posted by: jcallery at 01:06 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The Osirak Raid

In 1981, Israel bombed Saddam Hussein's nuclear bomb facility in Osirak. This story in the Jerusalem Post tells the tale of just how dangerous it was, and how close to failure they walked. They then contrast it with what it would take to damage Iran's nuclear bomb making facilities. I find the tale of Osirak more interesting.

Israel's legendary destruction of Osirak - a near-impossible operation, pushing the F-16s further than they had been built to fly, evading enemy radar for hundreds of miles, to precision bomb a heavily protected nuclear target - has entered the pantheon of acts of extraordinary Zionist daring as a clinical example of pre-emptive devastation, executed with breathtaking, ruthless accuracy.

But, things did not go quite that smoothly

But as detailed in American journalist Rodger Claire's overlooked study of the mission, 2004's Raid on the Sun - in which he spoke, uniquely, to all the pilots, their commanders, and key players on the Iraqi side of the raid as well - the bombing of Osirak was far from error-free. It was an astonishing, envelope-pushing assault all right. It succeeded, utterly, in destroying Saddam's nuclear program - a blow from which he would never recover. It safeguarded Israel from the Iraqi dictator's genocidal ambitions. But Raz's mistake on the final approach was only one of several foul-ups that could so easily have doomed it.

Here is one of my favorite parts.

Potential disaster also struck when, as the eight F-16s violated Jordan's airspace en route to their target, flying low to evade radar, they were spotted by King Hussein, out sailing his royal yacht at Aqaba. The king phoned his defense headquarters in Amman to report the sighting of what, despite the camouflage paint, were all-too evidently Israeli F-16s streaking eastward on a bombing run. He was assured that his security apparatus had picked up nothing suspicious. If the king tried to alert the Iraqis, he evidently failed to do so.

And, the Iraqi's did not help their cause.

And over the target zone itself, the operation was immeasurably eased by the fact that not only had the Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery units taken a break for their evening meal just prior to the raid - as the Mossad had established they would - but they had also, inexplicably, shut down their radar systems. These systems were still only warming up when the Israeli pilots bombed the reactor; the Iraqi defense teams thus had no radar or computer guidance as they tried to fire back and the Israelis - right through to the last, most endangered of the pilots, Ilan Ramon - were able to bomb and escape the scene. The only people hit by the panicked defensive fire, indeed, were Iraqi soldiers on the far side of the Osirak complex, several of whom were killed in the chaos.

Can they do it to the Iranian's? Possibly - technology has come a long way since 1981, and with GPS I don't think they will be getting lost. The F-16 is still not a very stealthy plane, but the Israelis fly them well. However, I do not think that the Iranians will be as lax with their security as the Iraqis were.  I guess we'll see what happens.

Found on Powerline.

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