Coyote Encounter     

   Apologies to anyone who feared that a curious coyote attacked me Sunday night. 
I promised to write a Monday blog after I unplugged our outdoor Christmas lights and safely returned to my den. Didn't happen. 

   There are other subjects to address today. Let me just say - coyote meat is more tender than pork, when boiled.  😏

To the Rescue
   Thick smoke rose from the grassy field. A small Indago drone with an infrared camera located the flames. A twin-rotor helicopter filled its bucket with 3,000 gallons of pond water and extinguished the fire. 

   Then a Desert Hawk located a camper who was trapped behind the fire, and helped lead a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, which identified a suitable landing zone, providing the camper the means to escape.

   All the above aircraft were unmanned drones, demonstrated by Lockheed Martin and its subsidiary, Sikorsky.

AIR & SPACE magazine

Protecting the Flock

   Coyotes attack sheep. Another kind of flock is vulnerable as well - faith congregations. Attacks on churches aren't new, but the killing of 26 in a Sutherland Springs, Texas church spurred more efforts at protection.

   Security conferences and plans are underway, along with risk assessments. Mike Gurley, a security consultant, believes every church needs a security team. Whether it's one person or several - security is their only job.

   Gurley advises clients to hire a uniformed officer if they want armed security on site. The use of deadly force should be reserved for people with proper training and experience.

   After 9/11, we were concerned with terrorism. But Gurley says interpersonal conflicts, especially among families, pose the most danger. Members of at least 10 churches have died in shootings since 2012.

WORLD magazine

      Heaven help us!   
             Jimmy