Greetings, all. As Noah mentioned last week, I’ll be holding the fort for a week, filling in the gaps between his posts from Iraq. I’m the editor of InsideDefense.com and its companion NewsStand; I also write our Insider. And I write on occasion for others, most often Scientific American.
Here’s a little RAPID FIRE to start things off:
* The AP takes a look at the Pentagon’s directed energy arsenal.
* James Fallows on the future of air travel.
* Why beheadings?
* The Navy goes ski jumping.
– posted by Dan Dupont
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
As a Verterans Service Organization Chaplain, I have heard on several occasions, that the phone cards we are sending to our troups to use are being abused by companies such as sprint, att, and others.
Something to the effect that the GI dosen’t get the full value of the card; E.g. a thirty minutes is charge some un-godly link fee that reduces the minuets available to only ten minuets.
Is this true? can someone shed some light on this subject, that we can send a better card for our troops to use.
We want to be effective at the VSO level so we can give you folks the best possiable support.
Regarding the phone cards, the minutes on the card are an approximation calculated at domestic long-distance rates. Overseas long-distance rates are obviously higher — e.g., the roaming charges on my cell phone are 2-plus dollars per minute over here — so the actual time is going to be significantly less if you call from one of the AT&T call centers. Alternatively, I know that some of the S6s have authorized use of DSN phones for “moral calls” (usually with restrictions to “off-duty” hours [e.g., 1800-0600] and no toll charges incurred against the government). If a trooper can locate a DSN phone system near his or her home, then that domestic long-distance rate kicks in and the card will come closer to its nominal endurance.
I hope this explanation helps.
This is very true. I’m currently station in iraq for my second tour and it is true about the calling card a 550min phone card might be worth 220 mins, That might seem ok but 550min phone cards are not cheap. Plus they AT&T charges a connection fine. It doesn’t seem right that it cost so much just for me to tell my family that im still alive. Thanks for reading and take care