Northrop Grumman’s Unmanned Global Hawk: Life-Saving Vistas for Disaster Relief, Hurricane Assistance, Firefighting, Homeland Security

Northrop Grumman’s unmanned Global Hawk is the most majestic, powerful, life-saving aircraft on earth – or in the stratosphere – with a wingspan slightly greater than a 757 cargo-liner! Rights Radio featured Northrop Grumman’s unmanned systems and Global Hawk in advance of the ComDef West 2010 Conference in San Diego.

Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems is a premier provider of manned and unmanned aircraft, space systems, missile systems and advanced technologies critical to our national security. Established by IDEEA Inc. (Washington, D.C.), ComDef is a world-class military event. Show Date: January 28, 2010.

My guest is Edward A. Walby, director of business development for the High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Systems Enterprise. Mr. Walby joined the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk team in San Diego after retiring from the United States Air Force in October 2002, where he headed the Sensors and Platforms Division for all Air Force surveillance and reconnaissance systems.

He has over 4,500 flight hours in various aircraft, with 150 in U-2 combat missions. A graduate of the Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, and the University of Southern California, Mr. Walby holds master’s degrees in aerospace engineering and strategic studies. His military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star.

A STRATEGIC PLATFORM WITH TACTICAL CAPABILITY: The Global Hawk is revolutionizing disaster intervention, firefighting, hurricane assistance and homeland security.  It’s the first unmanned aircraft: to be given a green light to fly over US airspace; to track firefighting emergencies on US soil; to prepare for US hurricane  assistance; and the first unmanned aircraft to provide immediate pinpoint intelligence for a major international disaster like Haiti. There may be competitors on the horizon, but America’s very own Northrop Grumman has created the most mighty hawk of all.

Show Highlights: Ed Walby explains what the Global Hawk  can do, how the Global Hawk is different from all the other unmanned aircraft systems and how it compares to the manned U-2 spy plane. He discuss the deployment of Global Hawks  overseas and describes missions conducted abroad. What types of non-military, domestic missions have Global Hawk supported? How many Global Hawk versions exist and what are the differences between each of them?

What important milestones are in store for the Global Hawk and for Northrop Grumman’s other unmanned systems?

“A day after the earthquake in Haiti, the Air Force had a Global Hawk Block 10 ready to deploy in support of Haitian operations. We flew from California, parked over Haiti for 12 hours and landed in Maryland. We would have had to move the manned U2 to Florida. Manned aircraft can’t stay on station for so many hours. We didn’t have that capability before…

“The Air Force is going to produce 77 Global Hawks. It’s all about preparing for the battlefield and protecting and supporting the troops on the ground. Almost every image we take is as precise as possible. There is a great deal of calculation taken into to hitting only the target you need to hit and to reduce anything beyond that. You would be amazed at what lengths the military goes through to ensure that only the target that is sought after is taken out.”

Listen to our show below!

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Here’s an important update on Global Hawk disaster assessments in Haiti – 2/12/2010):

“Thanks to Global Hawk’s highly advanced sensors, which are capable of taking hundreds of images in a single mission, we’ve provided disaster assessments for various agencies to make real-time decisions,” said Gen. Bob Otto, commander of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, Calif.  “The ability to fly 24-hour duration sorties meant the Global Hawk could support hundreds of ad-hoc requests while staying well clear of the relief workers and neighboring airports.  Truly, Global Hawk’s capabilities have proven invaluable to the worldwide humanitarian efforts in Haiti.”

On Jan. 13, a U.S. Air Force Block 10 Global Hawk was diverted by the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale Air Force Base from its trip en-route to support usual wartime operations in Afghanistan to assist in relief efforts after Haiti’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Jan. 12.  A Global Hawk took off from its main operating base at Beale Air Force Base, flew to Haiti, and provided 12 hours of coverage over the disaster area before landing at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md.  Subsequent missions were launched from Maryland to provide 14 to 16 hours of persistent watch over Haiti before landing back at Patuxent River.

“Not only has Global Hawk helped determine the extent of damages and usability of Haiti’s infrastructure, it has also helped to find and recommend roadways and airfields accessible for delivering emergency supplies and rescuing injured and trapped people,” said George Guerra, Northrop Grumman vice president of high-altitude, long-endurance systems.  “We are committed to supporting the ongoing relief efforts in Haiti for as long as necessary to help rebuild the lives of those affected.”

The Global Hawk team collaborated with other agencies to assist in all aspects of recovery and relief.  Officials and analysts from U.S. Southern Command in Miami , the 548th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Group from Beale Air Force Base, the 480th ISR Wing from Langley Air Force Base, and the Naval Air Systems Command Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstration program from Patuxent River helped provide critically needed imagery and information.

Capable of flying at altitudes up to 60,000 feet for more than 32 hours at a time at speeds approaching 340 knots, Global Hawk is equipped with an integrated sensor suite, which includes synthetic aperture radar, electro-optical and infrared sensors. Global Hawk has supported previous humanitarian relief efforts, including the southern and northern California wildfires in 2007 and 2008, respectively, as well as Hurricane Ike in 2008.

To your security ~ Dr. Joyce Starr

Bank Overdrafts: Outrageous Bank Overdraft Fees & Practices – How to Prevent Excessive Overdraft Fees

The Rights Radio Self Help Hour features outrageous bank overdraft fees. Consumers are being raked over the coals by overdraft rates and by the reordering of debits to increase fees. Show Date: April 9, 2009

Rights Radio financial guru Joe Stallard joins me in identifying ways to prevent or reduce exorbitant bank overdraft fees.The streaming replay is available below.

The Federal Reserve’s website has been hit with repeated complaints about unexpected overdraft fees, exorbitant overdraft fee rates and the reordering of debits to increase fees. Consumers complain about being raked over the coals and about the “reprioritizing” of their transactions.

The bottom line: We’re told that “bailout” banks have more cash stashed away then they did prior to the banking crisis – and your overdraft fees are only making them richer.

Discover key steps you can take to prevent exorbitant bank overdraft fees.

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POST UPDATE: January 2010!

This show and post generated many comments and questions! I promised you an update and here it is:

1. Many banks provide instant overdraft protection and charge $39.00 every time you exceed your balance. A number of banks have “reportedly” agreed to limit how many times they will charge customers on a single day and also allow them to opt out of “instant” overdraft protection. Call your bank and ask about their policy. Get it in writing if possible. A bank that permits up to five overdrafts per day, but refuses to limit the number of times they can charge you should be avoided.
2. Best Choice! Ask for FREE overdraft protection. If they grant it, the bank is supposed to phone you and allow you a day or more to cover the short-fall at no charge. (Make sure they do both.) Alternatively, sign up for true overdraft protection linked to your savings account or credit card. You may still incur a fee, but it should be much lower.
3. The big problem arises when banks process your largest expense last on a given day, rather than in chronological order. The first check or charge might be $10.00, the second $20 and so on. No problem – no overdraft. But when the $450 check hits, you’re out $39 and in the red. The solution: Make sure that your bank processes your transactions in chronological order. (CNBC personal-finance expert Carment Wong Ulrich, author of “Generation Debt,” Parade, November 15, 2009.)
4. Use your debit card sparingly when you travel overseas or purchase online from a company located outside of the United States, because you can incur a 2 to 3 percent fee per transaction.
5. Choose a bank that requires little or no minimum and thus no penalty if your account falls below a certain level. Many banks provide free checking with no minimums for seniors and students.
6. Ask for a brochure or written statement re clearing out of state checks. Don’t assume that the check will clear in 24 hours. Banks only count business days versus calendar days so that they can use your money for free, (naturally).

To your empowerment!

After the Tea Party – What Can You Do? Dr. Joyce Starr Interviews Don Crist

Dr. Joyce Starr interviews author Don Crist on his new book: What Can I Do After the Tea Party? Crist outlines steps that can harness the passion of Town Hall and TEA Party protests. He explains why it’s critical to communicate with your senator or congressman at the precinct level and how to ensure that your letters are read. Show Date: November 12, 2009.

Don Crist has served as a small business consultant to numerous entities in 52 cities throughout North America. He’s worked for both legislative and judicial branches of local and state government and has participated in nearly every level of campaign management as a volunteer or paid staff member.

Crist explains that while “emails and petitions are not read, they are counted.” Letters, by contrast, are read and can affect an outcome. For example, if an editor receives 15 letters on the same issue, “he will likely dispatch a reporter or might even start a series on the issue.” Senators and congressmen do read a large number of hand-written or personally crafted letters.

Does the media help or hinder the political process? Says Crist, “People use the media for affirmation – not information. Most will purchase or listen to a format which already supports the position they have chosen rather than one that provokes or requires a change in position. Reporters think that ‘the public doesn’t get it.’ But they do!”

Crist argues for old-fashioned door to door canvassing to convince people to take action on a specific issue. In order to inspire neighbors to join your effort – and to attract the attention of your representative – focus on one key item, not a laundry list of items.

Americans don’t want to change that much. In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye decides, finally, “If I bend that much, I will break.” The American people are like Tevye. They won’t bend as much as President Obama’s handlers want to bend them. They fear he will “break us” as a nation and become the “losers” we cannot tolerate. Like Tevye, we value American traditions and patriotism which strengthens us during times of turmoil.

Click the arrow to listen to the streaming audio.

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Caution – Second Stimulus Ahead: Spreading Crumbs of Wealth on the Middle Class

Unemployment has reached 10.2 percent, 190,000 jobs were lost in October, and 79 percent of Americans say the economic downturn has forced them to get by with less. Eighty-seven percent are worried about the future of the nation. Listen to Dr. Joyce Starr on “Spreading the Crumbs of Wealth on the Middle Class.” Show Date: November 5, 2009.

We have at least 16 million unemployed workers. And fewer Americans approve of the job done by Congress than believe in UFOs.

A respected stock market newsletter reported on November 4, 2009 that the market is poised to explode upward and continue for years to come. They stated that the worst pullback would be approximately 10 percent.

In order to cover all bases, they also advised that leading Elliott Wave chartists expect a market collapse well below the March 2009 and November 2008 lows. However, the stock market newsletter said there was little chance of such an outcome.

Yet, on the same day, famed economist Robert Samuelson wrote a fascinating column in the Washington Post. He said: “The Congressional Budget Office reckons the Obama administration’s planned budgets would increase the debt-to-GDP ratio from 41 percent in 2008 to 82 percent in 2019. Higher interest rates would aggravate the debt burden. Anticipating higher rates, the CBO estimates annual interest payments on the federal debt at $799 billion in 2019, up from $170 billion in 2009. Even the size of exposed debt is unclear; adding Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s debts (effectively guaranteed by the government) to Treasury debt would raise the total sharply.”

Let’s look at a few more compelling numbers. The US Government spent $250 billion to save one million jobs. However, we already know that 20,000 of those jobs didn’t exist, while a sizable number of the so-called jobs saved were actually based on pay raise statistics. Government officials have since stated with straight faces that giving someone a raise constitutes a job saving measure. American tax payers generous people. We gave $400,000 to Qaddafi’s son, $65 million in prescriptions to the deceased, $300,000 to track rabbit droppings and $26,000 per car in cash for clunkers.

Cash for clunker appliances is on the way – meaning $50 to $200 for people who can afford to purchase a brand new energy-efficient appliance. Utility companies might also offer a $25 to $50 rebate for an old refrigerator or freezer which is working quite well. Of course, they’ll recycle your old refrigerator, reselling the spare parts or even the entire item at a fat profit.

Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of the nation’s GDP. If you think the consumer is down and out, you’re both wrong and right.

Americans lost 40 percent of their wealth in the past two years. Over $4 trillion in credit lines will vanish by the end of 2009. The real unemployment rate (unemployed, discouraged and part-time workers wanting full-time work) is roughly 20 percent.

Yet, Nordstrom and high-end retailers report that sales are up compared to the last quarter. In other words, those who had, may now have even more – thanks to your generosity. We know that the stimulus plan was largely intended to bolster the US stock market – and we also know that the small investor was largely wiped out in the last market crash. Over thirty percent of American consumers have stopped spending except on pure necessities.

The average consumer has little to spend, but sales are going up. Amazing. Now that’s a true miracle that could only happen in America. So who exactly is benefiting from the stock market run-up of 2009? And what further bad news are the cheerleaders hiding?

Over 80 percent of voters in the New Jersey and Virginia elections expect the economy to get worse. Stock market analyst Michael Shulman wrote on September 16, 2009: “The banks still have trillions of dollars in toxic assets, increasing credit losses, and are facing new accounting and regulatory rules that are pressuring them to raise capital and dilute shareholders. And the market is not likely to react well to this news.”

The retain investor is usually the last in at the top…and the last out and the bottom falls out. If the market crashes again, the good news is small middle class investors will not be as deeply affected, since they were already wiped out in the last go-round. Large institutional investors and brokerage houses will make out like bandits, because they’ve already hedged their bets with puts. The government will probably use the crisis to call for yet another stimulus plan and to hire more high-paid czars with your money. The question is: will they have any crumbs left for the middle class?

This is Dr. Joyce Starr with Rights Radio.com. Please join us next week, same time, same place.

How to Listen: Click the Play Button below.

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Advice for Aspiring Authors: Literary Agent Karen Gantz & Dr. Joyce Starr

Dr. Joyce Starr interviews Karen Gantz, a highly sought after New York literary agent and literary property lawyer. Recent clients include Alec Baldwin and Kathleen Turner. Karen negotiates publishing agreements, option agreements, movie and entertainment deals, and deals with all aspects of the publishing field. She specializes in non-fiction works. Rights Radio Show Date: October 28, 2009.

We’re pleased to advise our audience that Karen Gantz Lit and Starr Publishing have joined forces to offer a VIP Coaching Program for Exceptional Authors. Call 305-349-3470 for further information. Leave a detailed message regarding your book and your contact information.

Karen Gantz is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Cardozo Law School where she was elected to the Law Review. She’s also written two acclaimed cookbooks, Taste of New York (Addison-Wesley 1993) and Superchefs Signature Recipes from America’s New Royalty, (Wiley & Sons, 1997). An accomplished amateur chef, she adapted master recipes from America’s finest chefs, including Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Daniel Boulud, Grey Kunz, Jean Georges Vongericthen and Charlie Trotter.

Karen served on a Presidential Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property, is a member of the Board of Trustees of New York’s prestigious Harmony Club and chairs the Club’s Literary and Media Committee where best-selling authors are invited to speak.

She’s involved in all stages of the publishing process, including:  collaboration agreement with the writer, consultations on the book proposal, presentations to the publisher, negotiating the the publishing agreement and other rights, and coordination with both the publisher and the publisher’s public relations firm to ensure the book gets the best possible media exposure.

TOPIC: It’s considerably more difficult for aspiring authors to be published by the mainstream press today than it was only a few years ago. Yet, many new (and even experienced) authors have a sense of entitlement based on a proposal or chapters that they’ve worked on for extended periods. They view promotion as the agent and publisher’s responsibility. They’re wrong! As Karen explains, proposals must include a compelling concept and excellent business plan that demonstrates a strong public platform. Authors must also avoid critical mistakes in meetings with publishers.

Karen stated: “You may only have one bite at the apple. So many authors need major restructuring of their proposals or books, and that’s why we’ve joined forces with Dr. Joyce Starr. Our dream client is a great listener.”

Living in New York, Karen meets with editors weekly, identifying those editors who are hands-on editors and are the most passionate advocates for her authors. Few people understand the extensive hours involved in her work as both a literary agent and attorney — including the time involved in reaching publishers, making a pitch, following up and negotiating a contract.

How to Listen: If you’re an author, don’t miss this interview! Click the play button below.

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To your publishing success,

Dr. Joyce Starr

News Overload Stress Syndrome – How to stay informed when the news makes you sick?

News overload and chronic stress. We’re all feeling it. Bad news, chaotic news, terrifying news, indiscernible news – hitting us daily with the force of a tornado. How do we protect ourselves while remaining informed?

Is the babble of 2009 at least partly intentional? We barely recover from the news that senators plan to vote on health care bill without reading it — what could that possibly mean for the future of democracy? — when we learn that Florida hospitals plan to deny care to those suffering from late stage cancer and terminal illnesses if the state is hit with an H1N1 pandemic.

But the stock market keeps accelerating and Wall Street brokers are receiving the biggest bonuses in years because we gave them billions of our tax dollars to play with. Companies that received stimulus money — and didn’t pay it back — will be forced to slash their mega-bonuses, but only for the last two months of 2009! (You won’t learn about that minor caveat unless you…watch or read the news.)

Meanwhile, 30 percent of Americans have stopped shopping, small business are slashing both salaries and expenses and Wall Street firms that did not take stimulus money are making out like….well, like bandits.

And the most important issue over the past week is the White House versus Fox News. Talk about distractions and denial of free speech.

I’m joined by my RightsUniversity.com co-founder, Joe Stallard.

How to listen: Click the play button below.

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To your health!

Dr. Joyce Starr

Jay Leno Revisited ‘With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?’

European Condo System vs American Condo System: No Condo Boards to Ruin Your Life

Condo rights advocates Dr. Joyce Starr & Jan Bergemann – President of Cyber Citizens for Justice (CCFJ.Net) – discuss striking differences between the European and US condo systems. According to Bergemann, European countries do not have condo associations, condo boards or condo strife. He contends that the US condo association system is just another form of communism.

If you’re fighting condo board abuse or HOA abuse,  we can help. Click the book images on your right or use this link:   Your Homeowner Association Rights Defense Kit.  We also provide individual consultations on condo association and homeowner rights problems.  Click here for more information.

Part One of this important interview is presented in both text and streaming audio formats. Part Two is streaming audio only. Please click the play buttons below.

Part One:

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Part Two:

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Dr. Joyce Starr: I want to speak with you today about the differences between the European and American condo systems.

Jan Bergemann: There are huge differences, because in Europe you don’t have associations. The membership is in charge of voting and making decisions. There is no board, no attorney. There is a manager who gets paid. He will send out notices to the members about repairs, contracts, bidding etc. I have owned condos in Germany since the mid-1970s, and there has never been a lawsuit in the building. This is the downfall of the American system. We now see – especially in the bad economy and real estate market – the real problems of these condos. The board members are not informed enough to make decision, so they rely on people whose have only one thing in mind – making money. You can’t blame the service providers. That’s their job. But it doesn’t help owners. The system is causing owners who paid all of their bills to lose their homes, because neighbors didn’t pay and boards made bad, bad decisions and wasted their money. There is no oversight. The Florida DBPR, for example, doesn’t do much. These boards do things that no normal person would do. And suddenly the entire association is in a deep whole and nobody can do anything about it. That is not possible in the Europe system.

Starr: How did the “condo owner” system evolve in Europe and how is it different than our own?

Bergemann: In Europe, every owner owns a share. Let’s say there are 100,000 shares. One owns 6,000 or 7,000 depending on the size. They all have a right to vote. It’s not like here where a small group of owners make decisions. That is not possible. That is one of the reasons why we see so many lawsuits. You see associations paying for everything from water to television, you name it. If one doesn’t pay, then the other neighbor has to pay for him/her. It makes no sense. It’s a communist system. In Europe, every owner has his own water meter, connection to the television. But if he doesn’t pay, you don’t lose your water or television. If the neighbor doesn’t pay, you feel sorry for the neighbor, because he’s in a financial bind. But it doesn’t mean your water or television will be cut off. The United States fought communism for so many decades, but we use a communist system for these Associations.

Starr: But how did community associations evolve? Why/when were they created?

Bergemann: It began with racial issues as is usual in this country. Some people didn’t want others to move into their community. But then a smart group of attorneys and other service advisors, with the help of HUD, established the Community Association Institute (CAI). The CAI was suppose to represent the interests of people living in these communities, but attorneys and corporations soon took over. HUD finances the CAI which clearly represents the interests of the service providers and is detrimental to the owners. Everybody is complaining that the banks don’t pay their shares. The attorneys are publicly outspoken that this has to change. But banks are members of the CAI, and not so long ago they were sitting together in committee meetings in Tallahassee.

Starr: So who are the bad guys?

Bergemann: The bad guys are the people who are forcing a system on the owners that doesn’t work, a system that is only made for profit of the providers. I’m not sure that the attorneys are serious about blaming the bankers. Allies are allies. The attorneys haven’t kept the bankers out of the CAI.

Starr: You mentioned that the CAI tried to bring this system to Europe, but the Europeans through them out.

Bergemann: There was a conference in Frankfurt. After the CAI presentation – showing how the system could be brought to Europe, one of the German legislators said, ‘Thank you very much. You’ve made a very nice presenation. But we had Adolph here. And we don’t need another Adolph. And this system is poised to be dictatorial.’ Even the best association is only one election away from dictatorship. I’ve seen people move out of an association because of problems, move into another where they check first to determine if everything is fine, yet soon find themselves embroiled in another set of problems.

Starr: Why do they neighbors seem to get along so much better in Europe and countries like Israel?

Bergemann: It’s very easy to explain. You give a small group of people called the board, with more or less unlimited powers but without proper oversight. They have the right to use Association money – meaning the money of their neighbors – to file lawsuits to defend their own violations. If you decide to sue the board, you’re suing yourself.

Starr: We typically blame US condo battles on human nature. Why are Europeans seemingly immune from such battles?

Bergemann: Europeans are much more willing to accept the life style of their neighbors without mingling in their lives. The biggest problem is that one group is trying to tell another group what they can do. Tell a European that he can’t rent his apartment or can’t have a cat. He would look at you like a deer in the headlight. An association is fining people for closing their hurricane shutters if they go away for a week or a short vacation. Try that in Europe. A neighbor fining a neighbor? It would be unthinkable in Europe. Here you give them the power and the money to enforce it. You would think that now that we have a bad economy, things would change. But you would be shocked at how many law suits are filed every day. The shingles on your roof are not allowed to be that particular shade of green. The frivolous lawsuits that are filed in America that would never happen in Europe. Board members are indemnified in the United States. They can do anything they want. It’s been proven in numerous cases that board members embezzled money, but nobody wants to prosecute them. The state attorney claims it’s a matter of contract law. But if someone steals money, it’s a crime. Here board members use association money to defend their own wrongs. Or they use Association money to persecute an owner because his flowers are too red. We had such a case that cost the owner over $130,000 in legal fees. The flowers died after a few months, but the legal battle went on for years.

Starr: Why was the owner willing to continue that battle?

Bergemann: Because he was a retired colonel who said the buck stops here.

To your condo owner rights!

Dr. Joyce Starr

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