Cuban missile crisis beliefs endure after 50 years

HAVANA (AP) ? The world stood at the brink of Armageddon for 13 days in October 1962 when President John F. Kennedy drew a symbolic line in the Atlantic and warned of dire consequences if Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev dared to cross it.

An American U-2 spy plane flying high over Cuba had snapped aerial photographs of Soviet ballistic missile sites that could launch nuclear warheads with little warning at the United States, just 90 miles away. It was the height of the Cold War, and many people feared nuclear war would annihilate human civilization.

Soviet ships carrying nuclear equipment steamed toward Kennedy's "quarantine" zone around the island, but turned around before reaching the line. "We're eyeball-to-eyeball, and I think the other fellow just blinked," U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk famously said, a quote that largely came to be seen as defining the crisis.

In the five decades since the nuclear standoff between Washington and Moscow, much of the long-held conventional wisdom about the missile crisis has been knocked down, including the common belief that Kennedy's bold brinksmanship ruled the day.

On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis, historians now say it was behind-the-scenes compromise rather than a high-stakes game of chicken that resolved the faceoff, that both Washington and Moscow wound up winners and that the crisis lasted far longer than 13 days.

Declassified documents, oral histories and accounts from decision-makers involved in the standoff have turned up new information that scholars say provides lessons for leaders embroiled in contemporary crises such as the one in Syria, where President Bashar Assad has ignored international pleas to stop attacks on civilians in an uprising that has killed more than 32,000 people.

Another modern standoff is over Iran, which the West accuses of pursuing a nuclear weapons program. In a recent U.N. speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew a red line on a cartoon bomb to illustrate that a nuclear Tehran would not be tolerated.

"Take Iran, which I have called a Cuban Missile Crisis in slow motion," said Graham Allison, author of the groundbreaking study of governmental decision-making "Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis."

"This same process is looming on the current trajectory, inexorably, toward a confrontation at which an American president is going to have to choose between attacking Iran to prevent it becoming a nuclear weapons state or acquiescing and then confronting a nuclear weapons state," Allison said.

"Kennedy's idea would be, 'Don't let this reach the point of confrontation,'" he added. "The risks of catastrophe are too great."

Among the common beliefs about the Cuban missile crisis that have been reevaluated:

___

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: The crisis was a triumph of U.S. brinkmanship.

REALITY: Historians say the resolution of the standoff was really a triumph of backdoor diplomacy.

Kennedy resisted pressure from aides advising that he cede nothing to Moscow and even consider a preemptive strike. He instead engaged in intense behind-the-scenes diplomacy with the Soviets, other countries and the U.N. secretary-general.

Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy met secretly with the Soviet ambassador on Oct. 27 and conveyed an olive branch from his brother: Washington would publicly reject any invasion of Cuba, and Khrushchev would withdraw the missiles from the island. The real sweetener was that Kennedy would withdraw Jupiter nuclear missiles from U.S. installations in Turkey, near the Soviet border. It was a secret pledge known only to a handful of presidential advisers that did not emerge until years later.

"As the historical record has expanded, the image of the resolute president has given way to the resolution president," Cuba analyst Peter Kornbluh wrote in an article in the November issue of Cigar Aficionado, an advance copy of which was made available to The Associated Press.

Nevertheless, the brinkmanship myth persists, with President George W. Bush in 2002 citing the missile crisis as a historical lesson in fortitude that justified a preemptive invasion of Iraq.

"The storyline is a lot easier that Kennedy stood steely-resolved, faced Khrushchev down and that's it," said Allison, a professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and former senior defense adviser to several Democratic and Republican administrations. "If you hang tough enough the other guy will eventually yield ? that is actually the lesson that became part of the popular mythology."

____

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: Washington won, and Moscow lost.

REALITY: The United States came out a winner, but so did the Soviet Union.

The Jupiter missiles are sometimes described as nearly obsolete, but they had come online just months earlier and were fully capable of striking into the Soviet Union. Their withdrawal, along with Kennedy's assurance he would not invade Cuba, gave Khrushchev enough to feel he had saved face and the following day he announced the imminent dismantling of offensive weapons in Cuba.

Soon after, a U.S.-Soviet presidential hotline was established and the two nations initiated discussions that led to the Limited Test Ban treaty and ultimately the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

"The major lesson is the necessity of compromise even when faced with a crisis like that," said Robert Pastor, an international relations professor at American University and former national security adviser for Latin America under President Jimmy Carter.

Pastor said he had many discussions about the missile crisis over the years with his late father-in-law, Robert McNamara, who was Kennedy's defense secretary. Pastor said domestic politics made it tough for both Kennedy and successive presidents to heed that lesson, as evidenced by Kennedy's intense efforts to keep the deal secret.

President Barack Obama, for example, faces considerable pressure to maintain a tough line on Cuba. Among the issues are the U.S. embargo, demands for political change, an American government subcontractor imprisoned in Cuba as an alleged spy and five Cuban intelligence agents serving long sentences in the United States.

"Look at U.S.-Cuban relations right now," Pastor said. "I don't think Obama would consider a compromise, because the pressure on him that 'You gave in to the Cubans' is too great."

__

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: It was a high-seas showdown.

REALITY: It's true the missile crisis was full of tense moments. On Oct. 27, a U.S. warship dropped depth charges over a nuclear-armed Soviet sub and the Soviets shot down a U-2 spy plane over Cuba. It was "the darkest, most dangerous day of the crisis," Kornbluh said.

Yet after Kennedy on Oct. 22 announced a U.S. naval quarantine around the island to prevent more military equipment from arriving, Khrushchev recalled ships carrying nuclear equipment the following day, according to the 2008 book "One Minute to Midnight" by Michael Dobbs, which was based on newly examined Soviet documents.

That means that on Oct. 24, when Secretary of State Rusk made his famous "eyeball-to-eyeball" statement reacting to supposedly up-to-the-minute intelligence, the vessels were already hundreds of miles away, steaming home.

"This thing about eyeball-to-eyeball, it never was. That confrontation never took place," said Kornbluh, who is a Cuba analyst at the nongovernment National Security Archive, which has spent decades working to get missile crisis documents declassified.

___

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: It was an intelligence coup for the CIA.

REALITY: Along with being a day late on the turnaround by Soviet ships, the CIA missed several key developments that would have helped Kennedy and his advisers navigate the crisis.

The CIA learned late in the game about the ballistic missiles' presence in Cuba, and they were already operational by the time Kennedy was informed of their existence.

The agency was also unaware of other, tactical nuclear missiles in Cuba that could have been deployed against a U.S. attack. The Soviets had even positioned nuclear-tipped missiles on a ridge above the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in preparation for an invasion.

"They were going to obliterate the base," Kornbluh said.

___

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: The crisis lasted just 13 days.

REALITY: This myth has been perpetuated in part by the title of Robert F. Kennedy's posthumous memoir, "Thirteen Days," as well as the 2000 movie of the same name starring Kevin Costner.

Indeed it was 13 days from Oct. 16, when Kennedy was first told about the missiles, to Oct. 28, when the Soviets announced their withdrawal.

But the "October Crisis," as it is known in Cuba, dragged on for another tense month or so in what Kornbluh dubs the "November Extension," as Washington and Moscow haggled over details of exactly what weapons would be removed.

The Soviet Union also had problems dealing with Fidel Castro, according to a Soviet document made public this month by Svetlana Savranskaya, a Russia analyst for the National Security Archive.

Deputy Premier Anastas Mikoyan traveled to Cuba that Nov. 2 and spent 20 days in tense talks with the Cuban leader, who was angry the Soviets had reached a deal without consulting him. Castro lobbied hard but unsuccessfully to keep the tactical nuclear weapons that the Americans had not learned about.

____

Associated Press writer Peter Orsi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cuban-missile-crisis-beliefs-endure-50-years-173527674.html

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Blessing of the pets | Wallyhood

Wallingford is such a pet-friendly neighborhood, isn?t it? So much so, that our neighbors look out for one another?s pets with almost as much care as their owners. Take Jenny and Janna, for example: Two lovely neighbors who helped get Muffy the cat out of a rather tall pine tree last week. Or how about the time when the Jai?s dog Stella was stolen right outside of the Durn Good last year, in broad daylight, and neighbors rallied together to put up fliers and keep on the lookout for the getaway truck? And let us not forget how the neighborhood reacted when the two boxer pups were stolen right out of their backyard.

Wallingford United Methodist Church (2115 N. 42nd Street) loves animals, too. So much so, that on Monday, October 15, at 7:00pm, the church will host a special service of blessing ?for all the creatures that enhance our lives with their companionship and delight.? Here?s the invite:

Bring your dog, cat, guinea pig, hamster, fish or ??? We do ask that animals come attached to leashes or in carriers of some sort so as to prevent the natural course of animal ?competitions? from taking over the worship.? After a short liturgy we?ll say a blessing for each one and it?s person(s). All are welcome. For more information please contact our church office:?office@wallingfordumc.org?or?206-547-6945.

If you go, don?t be surprised if you see a ten year-old carrying his 5 gallon fish tank filled with tiny snails.?

Source: http://www.wallyhood.org/2012/10/blessing-pets/

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Hot dog feud ends. Pair cleared of trying to rob 'M-A-S-H' eatery.

Hot dog feud embroiled Tony Packo's ? the restaurant made famous by the 'M-A-S-H' television series ? in scandal. Tony Packo III, accused of plotting to rob the business his grandfather founded, was acquitted of wrongdoing by an Ohio jury, bringing the hot dog feud to a close.

By The Associated Press / October 12, 2012

A stack of hot dogs at a hot dog eating contest is shown in this 2009 file photo. A family fight over the iconic Tony Packo's restaurant ended this week. Packo's grandson was cleared of trying to steal money from the business, ending a hot dog feud that jeapordized the future of the restaurant featured in the 'M-A-S-H' TV series.

Shannon Stapleton/Reuters/File

Enlarge

The grandson of an Ohio man who founded a hot dog eatery made famous on the TV series "M-A-S-H" was acquitted Thursday of scheming with a company controller to steal nearly $250,000 from the restaurant that sells its hot dog sauce and pickles in food stores nationwide.

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Jurors took about an hour to come back with not guilty verdicts in favor of Tony Packo III and the former company controller, ending the hot dog feud.

Prosecutors accused the pair of working together to steal from the restaurant chain and said that Packo III believed he was entitled to more money even though he owned only a minority share of the business. His father and a cousin owned the majority.

Defense attorneys told jurors that the charges were the result of a family feud and that Packo's cousin cooked up the theft accusations so that he could take over.

The family fight put the future of Tony Packo's in doubt after a bank foreclosed on its loans and a third party was put in charge of daily operations in the spring 2011. But a sale finalized in February put the restaurant in the hands of a private group aligned with Tony Packo Jr. and Tony Packo III.

Packo's became a household name in the 1970s when actor Jamie Farr portrayed a homesick U.S. soldier in the Korean War who longed for the hot dogs.

"If you're ever in Toledo, Ohio, on the Hungarian side of town, Tony Packo's got the greatest Hungarian hot dogs," Farr's character, Cpl. Max Klinger, said on an episode in 1976.

The original Packo's remains a tourist destination and is decorated with "M-A-S-H" memorabilia.

Its new ownership group said after the verdict that Tony Packo III and his father will stay onboard with the restaurant group.

Bob Bennett, who won the bidding for Packo's, said last year that he planned on putting Tony Packo III and his father in charge of the day-to-day operations of the five Packo's outlets around Toledo.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/me4U8T5VNP8/Hot-dog-feud-ends.-Pair-cleared-of-trying-to-rob-M-A-S-H-eatery

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EMERGENCY! Anyone in Middle Georgia have a generator ...

Quote:

What kind/size from northern would everyone recommend? I imagine I wouldn't need to run everything... Prob just return pump, chiller/heaters depending on weather, and maybe a powerhead or 2 for extra flow..?

Again, it is back on now so fingers crossed all is well.. I'll update tonight when I get home..

Generators are rated in watts. For this purpose, watts equals volt/amps. Assuming all of your equipment is 120 volts a 1500 watt generator would give you a total of 12.5 amps. So, add up the rated amperage of the equipment you want to run and that would tell you what size generator you would need to run. Some equipment such as lighting is rated in watts already but you can convert back and forth as needed.

But, it may not be that difficult. Are you running everything on one circuit? If so and that circuit is on a 20 amp breaker I can assure you that you are not drawing more than 16 amps. A circuit breaker can only carry 80% of its rated load under continuous duty (running for 3 hours or more). If it is a 15 amp breaker then you are not drawing more than 12 amps.

Hope that helps you decide.

Edit:

Quote:

For this purpose, watts equals volt/amps.

The way I wrote that is a bit misleading. LOL Should be volt-amps. In other words, volts times amps = watts. So if you know the amps, multiply time 120 volts and that gives you the watts.

Source: http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=75002

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Endeavour set for final trip, through L.A.

A space shuttle is set to make its first-ever parade through city streets Friday and Saturday, and anyone in the Los Angeles area can get a front-row seat.

The retired shuttle Endeavour, which made its last trip to space in May 2011, is soon set to join the ranks of museum displays at the California Science Center (CSC).

The orbiter flew to California in September from its previous home base at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Since then, it's been waiting at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) until the museum is ready to receive it. The final leg of its journey is set for later this week.

  1. Space news from NBCNews.com

    1. Sarah Brightman will sing at the space station

      Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Soprano superstar Sarah Brightman has confirmed that she's planning a flight to the International Space Station and hopes to do a concert in orbit.

    2. Skydiver's supersonic jump reset for Sunday
    3. Nebula views captured with X-ray vision
    4. Space station pulls in SpaceX cargo ship

The space shuttle is due to make the 12-mile trip from LAX to the CSC during a two-day parade beginning before dawn on Friday morning. Over the course of its parade through the streets of Inglewood and Los Angeles, Endeavour will stop for celebrations outside The Forum, the former L.A. Lakers arena, and at a street intersection where "Fame" actress Debbie Allen has choreographed a tribute performance.

Endeavour will roll through the streets atop a special NASA transporter pulled by four computer-controlled vehicles. For a small part of its trip, the shuttle will be towed by a Toyota Tundra pickup truck. The whole progression is being dubbed "Mission 26: The Big Endeavour," as the shuttle previously made 25 missions to orbit. [ Photos: Shuttle Endeavour's California Sightseeing Tour ]

Public viewing will be possible only from select locations, as safety and logistics concerns have forced the police to shut down many streets and sidewalks.

The giant orbiter, which has a 78-foot wingspan and a 58-foot-tall tail, will be a tight squeeze through many roads, where several hundred trees have had to be felled in preparation for the shuttle's passage.

(The CSC Foundation is sponsoring the replanting of up to four trees in place of each downed one, as well as two years of tree maintenance.)

Here's an outline of Endeavour's expected route:

Friday (Oct. 11), 2 a.m. PDT: Endeavour to depart LAX

Friday, mid-morning: Endeavour will take Westchester Boulevard to Sepulveda, where it will stop for about nine hours for power lines to be raised.

Friday, afternoon: Endeavour will continue down Manchester Boulevard, crossing into Inglewood, where it will stop for another six hours for more power line work.

Friday, overnight: Endeavour will cross the 405 freeway.

Saturday, 8 a.m. PDT: Endeavour will pass by Inglewood City Hall, where the public can see it, and continue to The Forum for a public ceremony.

Saturday, 2 p.m. PDT: Endeavour will stop at Crenshaw Boulevard and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard for the Debbie Allen production, which will also be open to the public.

Saturday, afternoon: Endeavour will take King to Bill Robertson Lane and then turn left into Exposition Park.

Saturday, 9 p.m. PDT: Endeavour is expected to arrive at the California Science Center, where the public can view it roll in.

If you snap a photo of Endeavour during its trip across L.A. streets and want to share them with SPACE.com, send photos, comments and location info to managing editor Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com.

You can follow SPACE.com assistant managing editor Clara Moskowitz on Twitter@ClaraMoskowitz.Follow SPACE.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also onFacebook & Google+.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49380316/ns/technology_and_science-space/

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Golf's original Watson returns to the Australian Open

Tom Watson confirmed in field for Australian Open at The Lakes in December.

Australian Open organisers announced today that alongside several big name Australian players to contest for the Stonehaven Cup in December, eight-time major winner Tom Watson will make a return to the tournament he won in 1984.

Tom Watson, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and defending champion Greg Chalmers have all been confirmed starters for the Australian Open to be held at The Lakes in Sydney, December 5 - 8, 2012.

While tournament organisers would be pleased that those Aussies are on board, it's the name of Watson, the original Watson that carries the most excitement. Although Watson will be 63 when he arrives in Australia, it wasn't that long ago now that he almost became the oldest major winner in the history of golf when he lost in a playoff to?Stewart?Cink at the 2009 Open Championship. Watson has made the cut at the last two Open Championships and won the Senior Open Championship last year.?

Make no mistake, he won't be here to make up the numbers as a big name draw card, he'll be here to win. This is a cracking announcement from Golf Australia who are doing well at trying to keep up the momentum in professional golf after last year's Presidents Cup.

Image courtesy of Golf Australia.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AussieGolfer/~3/nwRFoDsK-cY/golfs-original-watson-returns-to.html

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Learn How To Start Building More Muscle Today - pdfbox.org ? From

Posted by haleyjonas on Saturday, September 1, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?

Are you prepared to take muscle building seriously? You may just need the right kind of information and the right kind of advice. This article contains useful information for getting the muscle definition you?ve always wanted. Take them into consideration so that you can obtain the sort of muscles you would like to have.

TIP! Watch what you eat when you?re working to build muscle. Staying hydrated is always important, but it is even more so in building muscle since up to 70% of muscle mass is water.

Include the ?big three? into your routine every time. This refers to bench presses, dead lifts and squats, all of which are common exercises for building bulk. These compound exercises can make you stronger and improve your muscle tone as well as increasing your muscle mass. Add variations of these exercises to your usual workouts.

TIP! You can get stronger with a strict and effective workout routine that focuses on muscle building. This means that you should gradually be able to lift heavier weights.

Aim to mix up your grips for working out the back. When doing deadlifts or rack pulls, use mixed or staged grips, if you want to attain more strength. The grip that is staggered gives a twist in one direction and the underhand grip gives a twist to the opposite direction. This will prevent the bar from moving all around in your hands.

TIP! When you are planning to build muscles on a certain day, eat good. Approximately 60 minutes prior to exercising, consume calories.

Compound exercises are an excellent way to build muscles to their fullest extent. Working out many muscles in one lift is more efficient. For example, bench presses exercise your triceps, chest and shoulders all at once.

TIP! To build larger muscles, eat lots of protein. Protein synthesis is the process your body uses to store protein.

Keep an eye on your body fat while you?re building up muscle. You do not want to monitor just your weight, as you could be gaining muscle, but losing fat. You can feel discouraged when watching your weight, but it?s not good for pegging your muscle growth in the beginning.

TIP! Warming up with some light exercises is essential before you do any heavy lifting. Including ten or fifteen minute warm-ups can increase your blood flow and prepare your muscles for intense workouts.

You must exercise great care when choosing how often to do your muscle building exercises. If you do too little in your workout, you won?t see much progress. However, it is important to not to push yourself too far either. For example, overworking your body can cause stretchmarks or permanent injury to your muscles and joints.

TIP! Train opposing muscles when you are in the midst of a workout; try doing the chest and back together, or the hamstrings with quads. This way, one muscle can get a rest while you are working out the other.

A great way to deal with muscles that limit your progress is to use the concept of pre-exhausting. When you do rows, for example, your biceps could give out before your lats do. You can rest your biceps and work on your lats with an exercise that provides the appropriate isolation, like the straight-arm pulldown. If you do so, this will make your lats very tired, and our biceps will work right.

TIP! Make sure that you are using your brain when performing squats. Lower the bar to near the middle of the traps.

When your exercise routine incorporates muscle building, you should remove alcohol from your life. A beer here and there, or a little bit of wine is okay, but alcohol should never be drank in excess. When you are trying to build muscles it is not a smart idea to intake alcohol.

TIP! An often overlooked part of a good exercise program is warming up. As muscles strengthen, they are under additional stress, which may make them more prone to injury.

TIP! It is imperative that you eat well while trying to build up your muscle. Rebuilding muscle fibers involves consuming the proper amounts of certain nutrients.

Keep doing cardio exercises even when focusing on strength training. Although cardio may seem unrelated to muscle building, it is important to burn fat so that your hard-earned muscles are visible and not hidden under a layer of fat. 3 moderate cardio exercises per week of 20 minutes per session will be enough to properly exercise the heart without negating your weight training progress.

TIP! When the lifting gets tough, the tough cheat a little. If you need to finish a few extra reps in order to get the most out of your workout, don?t use your entire body.

Too many people botch their muscle building efforts by rushing them. Performing an exercise with care and deliberation, will give you far better results than quickly churning out sets in bad form. Take your time, and make certain that you are performing the exercise correctly.

TIP! Cool down with a short stretching routine to ensure that your muscles start the repair process from a healthy point. Anyone that is under forty years old needs to make sure that each stretch is held for a minimum of thirty seconds.

When attempting to gain muscles, you should attempt to have a diet rich in fresh, whole foods. Avoid pre-packaged foods that come in boxes, which often contain chemicals, preservatives, and fillers that can hinder your body?s ability to heal itself. Eating a healthful diet has benefits beyond contributing to increasing your muscle mass.

TIP! Avoid relying on vitamin supplements. Protein supplements are potentially helpful when added to a regimen.

A muscle workout offers a number of benefits to your life in general, not just your health, and you don?t need to bulk up to get these benefits. It can raise your self-esteem, provide your body with greater strength, improve the functioning of your joints, plus strengthen your lungs if it is done in conjunction with some form of light to moderate cardio workout.

TIP! Meat is very helpful for building up your muscles. A good protein target is one gram of protein per pound of mass.

Focus on form when you are new to muscle building activities. You can add weight as time passes, but if you have bad form initially, things are unlikely to improve in the future. This can cause injuries, which is the opposite of what you are striving for.

TIP! Be sure that you limit yourself to working out at about three or possible four times in a week. This can give your body time to recover.

In order to achieve muscle building success, it is necessary to obtain the best information available. If you apply the tips you just read, you can successfully build muscles over time. Simply incorporate the tips into your daily routines. Just make sure you stick to your plan, and stay determined

TIP! Be sure that your training regimen coincides with your goals. Sticking with the same routine can help you make more rapid progress toward your goals.

Source: http://pdfbox.org/learn-how-to-start-building-more-muscle-today-2/

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Product Review KP02A body review, & comparison with HT's ...

KP02A body review, and side-by-side comparison with HT's (Noland/Barney Ross/Whiplash) body variant.

Some have requested a direct comparison between the 2.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaustic Plastik

I really hope to have your feedbacks, suggestions, critics!!

Feedbacks, Suggestions and Critiques... This would be all three.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaustic Plastik

It's between the model used in Expendables and T-800

More of the former by more ways than one.

Review
1. As suspected by myself and few others, KPA02 is "base on" HT Barney Ross/Whiplash body. A more accurate description is: KP used the base HT body and:
a) Adding sculpt to the exterior ot the torso, abs, arms and legs so that it varies from HT's.
b) The pelvis shape (exterior/function) remains mostly unchanged except for the slight shift of the screw holes.
c) The slight changes to shoulder rotation pin that (inadvertently) makes the Arms modular (you can pop it out of the socket).
d) The internals are almost 100% "recast" based on HT's body. Hence, good replacement/swappable parts with HT's bodies.
e) The whole body from the hips/pelvic region to the top of tip of the neck is the same length as the HT's, the upper legs are longer by approx 0.5 cm, while lower legs would be the same/similar to the extended lower legs (together with extended pegs option too) of HT variants, with standard TT lower legs it's approx 1.7cm longer. Proportionally, KP's legs seems too long.

The Good/Improvements:
1. Materials used are of good (I'd put it: preferred) quality. It gives some flexing while materials used by HT are more rigid which tends to break.
2. Thick PVC material used for the upper torso (which brings a weakness). HT's very thin by comparison.

The Bad/Weakness:
1. The far too thick PVC of the upper torso around the rib area, making it like fat build-up in odd places.
2. The knees bent has far too sharp angles jutting out.
3. The base of the neck is rather loose, so adjustment through a screw at the back would alleviate this, but you can't (which will be discuss in "the ugly").
4. Because of the pin design of the shoulders, it would be more prone to be loose, swinging back and forth over- a-time-course/frequent posing.

The Ugly:
1) The claims as a complete in-house KP 3D CAD design.
2) Drill out (Stripping) the "philips" screw head of the 3 screws holding the internal torso together, so no typical screw driver can "expose" further internals. Well, it took me all of 5 minutes dremel, to get the screw to be fully functioning again, I do appreciate a good mental challenge/obstacle. The QUESTION: Why create such an inconvenience? (I'll leave it at that)

Personal opinions:
KP did recreate a good alternative body (or duplicate body) with some weaknesses and some improvements. Being a retail product this is bound to be dissected to its basic components and be exposed for what it is. I personally disagree with the claims made. I would call a square, a square. Be it HT or any other companies, they would expect their products to be dissected with appropriate merits/credits to novelty of design.

Note on pics, I've used a compact wide angle camera so there will be some perspective distortion.... I could always break out my DSLR with macro-lens
Pictures: Left (KP02A): Right (Noland's body)

Pelvis:

Abdomen:

Upper Torso:

Odd sharp knees:

Arms/shoulder joint:

Proof on concept. The interchangeable parts of KP's and HT's bodies. Note, because of slight difference in sizes you can't by default use Noland's hips and legs on KP02A's pelvis, a minor mod will be needed to do so (as seen, you'll have no problems doing the opposite). Right: Hybrid as indicated by the colour. KP's inner neck peg and Arms/Shoulders on Noland's inner & outer upper torso, connected to KP's abdomen which is in turn to Noland's Pelvic and again to KP's hips and legs:

Odin's body: KP02A, (arms' obviously different) this is length/proportion comparison:

Needless to say I disagree with the following comments (with proof), "and why the bias?" is all that I'll add.:

Quote:

Similar, yes, copy, hell no!

Give the guy a break, he's just starting out and needs all the support he can get. We all have to start somewhere!

CHEERS!

Quote:

People seem to have serious issues of perception that I don't understand. If people can't tell the difference between the Iron Man Mark III and Mark IV designs even when side by side. I am not surprised that they can tell the difference between two similarly sized 1/6 scale human bodies.

The Kaustic body is very different from any of the HT bodies in many ways. It's clearly a made-from-scratch body that uses some similar articulation.

Quote:

I don't understand what you are getting at? Wouldn't you expect that 2 simalarily sized body builders to have similar proportions? Yes the side by side pics look similar. Similar in that that they are both muscular and have normal body parts. The design of the body though is vastly different. I don't know how much it cost to design a body but I guess it would be Thousands if not Tens of Thousands. I know if I had a company and spent that kind of money I would be offended if someone came along and said "but it's a recast of Hot Toys".

p.s. Take a product for what it is... alot of people do appreciate the availability and variation that KP bodies provide.

Source: http://www.onesixthwarriors.com/forum/sixth-scale-action-figure-news-reviews-discussion/637918-kp02a-body-review-comparison-hts-noland-barneyross-whiplash-body-var.html

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Links to Love: Including Balance Remarkable Relationships

Another weekend ahead...are you excited? ?I hope it is a good one for you. ?This weekend we are packing up our home and moving to another one fairly close by. ?We are up to our ears in boxes and bubble wrap over here, but I am trying to work through it all by purging as I pack. ?In fact, I've already sent 7 bags to the DI this week (DI = local thrift store). ?It feels so good and now that I have some momentum, I am feeling more excited about packing vs. dreading the whole gig. ?This will mark 13 moves for us in our 13 years of marriage, can you believe it? ?

So this week I want to share with you some interesting reads...

First, this article about how a child's relationship with his/her father affects self-esteem. ?Pretty insightful.

Next, an article I discovered on Twitter via How About Orange. ?Loved the tips on enhancing creativity and making the most of your work day.

This post over at A Blog About Love regarding depression and whether or not it's possible to find happiness when struggling with a chemical imbalance. ?Heartfelt and honest.

I love Justin, his wife Amy, and the beautiful things they create together--including his 30 Strangers Project. ?This four-minute film endears me even more.

image via Alain Delorme Photography

Source: http://www.stephmodo.com/2012/08/links-to-love-including-notes-on.html

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