Word: aircrafters
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...sudden spurt of helicopters going down comes just as the U.S. military is embarking on the Bush Administration's much-debated surge of soldiers into Baghdad, and it brings up the question: why are so many aircraft suddenly crashing, and what, if anything, does it say about the capabilities of the insurgents who are claiming to shoot them down...
...wake of initial findings, the chance that the enemy actually did bring down the helicopter is acknowledged. (Following Wednesday's crash, the U.S. military said hostile fire did not appear to be the cause, although an Iraqi military officer did tell the Associated Press that an anti-aircraft missile was to blame. Iraqi witnesses made similar claims...
...there any replacement for long-haul air travel itself. I can take a train from Boston to Washington, but until we can figure out how to travel via fireplace, Harry Potter--style, the only way I'm getting from Tokyo to New York City is in aircraft that may emit more than 5,200 lbs. (about 2,400 kg) of carbon per passenger, round-trip, according to one estimate. On an individual level, you can try to make your flight carbon neutral by donating to, say, a forestry project that will soak up the greenhouse gases you have created...
Admittedly, the airline industry has improved efficiency over the past 40 years, with technological upgrades more than doubling efficiency. There are tweaks in aircraft operations that could nip carbon emissions even further. Virgin Atlantic airlines tycoon Richard Branson, who last year pledged $3 billion in the fight against climate change, advocates having planes towed on the ground rather than taxiing, which he has said could cut a yet unspecified portion of fuel on long flights. Emissions trading for the air industry could help as well, with airlines given carbon caps and then being required to purchase credits from other industries...
That complicates the U.S.'s strategy for dealing with the country that has lately entered the Administration's rhetorical gunsights: Iran. Since the start of the year, the U.S. has ramped up its bellicosity toward Iran and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It has moved a second aircraft-carrier group to the Persian Gulf and conducted raids against Iranian targets in Iraq. But the prospect of a military confrontation causes shudders among many U.S. officials, given Tehran's capacity to retaliate against U.S. troops in Iraq and strike civilian targets around the world. Rice says that "the President absolutely believes this...