An Unauthorized Portrait Of Squinting "L"

Image: An Unauthorized Portrait Of Squinting "L" - Springfield, IL

Mr. "L" is a regular reader of JeromeProphet. Mr. "L" works in downtown Springfield, Illinois, but I won't say for whom - that's a secret. Mr. "L" has made several intriguing suggestions for possible post to this blog over the last ten months, but I'm waiting for Mr. "L" to begin his own blog.

I'm sure it would be an interesting read.

Flowers Ephemeral

Photo: A Beautiful Flower - Horace Mann Plaza - Springfield, Illinois 04.27.006


Flowers Ephemeral
-JeromeProphet-

Flowers ephemeral.
You live a life of beauty.
An essence in a sense of innocence.



Image: A Beautiful Flower - Gives More Than It Takes.

In the borrowing of a moment.
Your existence is to share.
Not to capture, control, or possess.



Image: A Beautiful Flower - It Must Perish But It's Gift Remains

But to experience all at once.
With never a true understanding.
Of your gift.

The Incredible Lockheed/Martin ABL/IRSS

The Airborne Laser (ABL) is the U.S. Air Force's radical new approach for disabling or destroying threat ballistic missiles immediately after launch, during their vulnerable boost phase of launch. Onboard a Boeing 747, the ABL will use the Infrared Surveillance Subsystem (IRSS) to detect and precisely locate threat missiles for engagement by the ABL's megawatt class laser. IRSS leverages some of the latest Infrared Search and Track (IRST) and Active Ranging Sensor (ARS) technologies to perform the real-time detection and precise target tracking functions.

The ABL team is comprised of Boeing, responsible for building the 747 aircraft and the BMC⁴I computer; TRW, responsible for building the laser; and Lockheed Martin, responsible for Beam Control/Fire Control and the IRSS. Employing six IRSTs, IRSS is capable of rapidly searching a large airspace volume, generating precise two-dimensional tracks on threat missiles during both their boost and post-boost phases of flight. The IRST system can generate detections at very long ranges, then handing off to a CO_² laser ARS for track refinement and precise range measurement. The ABL project is currently in the Program Definition and Risk Reduction (PDRR) phase. Live fire testing of the entire ABL system is scheduled for 2003.

Caption: Airborne Laser (ABL) is an aircraft-mounted laser weapon system that is capable of destroying chemical, biological, and nuclear missiles almost immediately after launch and before they would pose a threat to civilian populations and military assets. This beam control system provides autonomous acquisition, pointing, and tracking capabilities against the theater ballistic missiles.

CREDIT: "Lockheed Martin photo"





CAPTION: Airborne laser (ABL) is an aircraft-mounted laser that is capable of destroying chemical, biological, and nuclear missiles.

CREDIT: "Lockheed Martin photo"


ABOUT THE MATERIAL ABOVE:

Both the written, and graphic material above was reproduced from the LockheedMartin website. It's facinating to me, and so I reproduced it for my readers - for scientific purposes. I'm sure it's copyrighted, but I can use it here under FAIRUSE Copyright rules. I cropped, and resized the two larger "photos" above to fit those images on my blog page.


MY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS PROGRAM

If the U.S. could deploy dozens of these airborn ABM systems, once they are fully functional, they might prove worthwhile. They could find an immediate role in shielding Japan, and the U.S. from a nuclear missile attack from North Korea.

Despite the promise of this program I'm hoping that U.S. foreign policy never comes to depend upon this type of defense system. All it takes is one warhead to make it past such a system to incinerate millions of people.

I've always believed that it's best to promote positive relations with all nations, and hopefully reduce the chances of conflict in the first place. Having said that I believe that such a program is vital to the interest of the U.S.

Bar Stools On Table

Image: Clyde's Bar Stools On Table - Springfield, Illinois 04.25.06

A little color to pick up your spirits on a cold rainy April day?

CIA Agent Visits Downtown Springfield, Illinois!

Photo: CIA Agent - Umbrella Man - Springfield, Illinois

This was one scary dude! Randy at Photos-Etc has another photo of this CIA agent on his blog!

Jerome Illinois' Barrel Head Is Demolished

Photo: Barrel Head Demolished - Victim Of Jerome, Illinois' 2006 Tornado

Owners of The Barrel Head located on Wabash Avenue in Jerome, Illinois demolished the severely damaged eatery six weeks after an F2 tornado ripped it's roof off.

According to an article in the Illinois State Journal Register the building is to be rebuilt. Where, and when exactly that rebuilding takes place are two questions I'd like to ask the owners.

Being a resident of the Village of Jerome, I sure hope the rebuild right here in Jerome!

I took several photos of the demolished remains of the Barrel Head. In the photograph above, under the arch of the demolition crane, Steak & Shake can be seen across Wabash Avenue. It's sign is still damaged, and actually looks better - being brighter.



Photo: Jerome, Illinois Barell Head Demolished - A Last Reunion?

A table and several chairs were assembled next to the debris. It looked as if a small group of people had come, and sat down at that table - perhaps for one last get together at the old Barrel Head.

Barrel Head Jingle

Barrel Head.
Good Times, and Good Friends.
Barrel Head.
Where The Party Never Ends.

The Barrel Head is now just as much of a memory as is the Wabash Curve. The Barrel Head Jingle which played for decades on radio, and television spots to residents of Central Illinois had historically included a reference to the Wabash Curve. The Wabash Curve was a section of road in which Macarthur Blvd. curved into, and became Wabash Avenue. The Wabash Curve was converted into an intersection with the recent completion of the Stanford-Wabash road project.

Weed or Flower - It's Spring 2006!

Photo: Jerome, Illinois - Dandelion - Spring Has Arrived - 2006

For several weeks I have been holding back my enthusiasm over the coming of Spring. As anyone who lives in this Central Illinois community knows there have been several (at least four officially) tornados to visit the area since early March. The tornados, and a late blizzard left me a bit weather worried, and I have been left with the feeling that Spring was more of a enemy than a welcome friend.

Finally, it appears that Spirng is here to stay, and despite my lingering fear that Mother Nature has a final zinger to launch at Jerome, and surrounding communities, I'm officially in the celebration mode.

My wife insisted this weekend that I go out, and mow the lawn. This would be the first time for 2006, and the grass looked fine to me, but that's a long standing debate between my spouse, and me - and I won't go there in this post.

Going out, and mowing the grass sounds like an innocent request, but the tornado which struck Jerome left hundreds of little projectiles in the lawn. Including sticks, sycamore balls (and I don't even know where the closest sycamore tree is), and small pieces of roofing tiles from other people's homes, and garages.

As I ran the mower I was reminded of the sound which this debris made as it hit the house at one hundred, and twenty miles per hour - cast there by the swirling tornado. Quite a frightening melody.

Despite my spouses claim that I was only delaying the inevitable I grabbed my camera to snap some photos of various flowering plants just before I mowed them suckers down.

I present some of those photos here as a reminder of the beauty of Spring 2006 which I found just outside my door on a beautiful blue sky day - and get this - it was a Saturday!