Posted on 05/13/2004 8:35:22 PM PDT by SeenTheLight
"He was a joint exhibitor with Harris and the FCC and a bunch of other big name radio companies last year at the Pennsylvania association of broadcasters:"
That really means very little.
I don't want to demean the guy's idea or his inspiration.
It IS an interesting concept.
The question is, did he make any sales?
I have attended the dig daddy of all radio communications conventions, where they have hundreds of exhibitors.
It is held every spring in Las Vegas.
Anyone can exhibit there, as well as at small time local expos. All you have to do is pay the fees.
He had all sorts of ideas to bring technology to less-developed parts of the world, including a concrete tower which could be fabricated in remote parts of the world using locally- available materials, thus avoiding the problems of shipping steel in the absence of a good transportation network.
In fact, at last year's PAB Engineering Conference in Hershey, he and his father (who served as business manager of the company) displayed a prototype modular structure called "Bovl Blocks", made of interlocking concrete blocks that could be cast on site, then stacked to the desired height. He thought this product would be particularly useful in the African interior, where cellular networks are just beginning to be built out.
Maybe it wouldn't work, but he had the vision to invent it and to promote it at a broadcasters convention. It just may be that he was trying to sell this as a quick way to put up cellular towers in remote sections of Iraq.
If you read these threads, I was on the cutting edge of the conspiracy theories here at FR. I have had some second thoughts since I've done some serious research into this kid. He was universally praised as being hardworking and bright. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. And at this time, there isn't a lot of evidence that he was anything other than legitimate and naieve.
How about:
d) Wandering around Iraq alone. NO American in their right mind would do that. It's like walking around with a big "KILL ME" sign. Every American over there knows that to wander around alone is to invite death or kidnapping.
Remember what happened after the "Snowman" invited himself to the Soviet Embassy in Mexico City?
So they were demanding he be released from US custody, and when he was (habeus corpus filed) and he refused a flight home, it's now the US govts fault he was taken by AQ and killed. I get it now....I think.
Quite so. If he were truly a "pro-Bush pro-war adventurer out for war profits" they'd be singing a different tune, like "he had it coming."
It is, isn't it? Its actually brilliant for towers that are under 50 feet.
The question is, did he make any sales?
I have not been able to obtain any of that information as it is probably not on the internet.
Anyone can exhibit there, as well as at small time local expos. All you have to do is pay the fees.
Yeah, but look at his face. There's a guy with vision. He may not have anything worth buying, but it is obvious he believes in it.
If you're going to build a tower in some remote village in Africa, for instance, you are going to have to truck in a load of concrete anyway, but that would be the extent of the logistics using Berg's methods. You would not have to have heavy materials designed and sent in from the states (where they might get hijacked) as you could use the raw materials that would be available to most remote outposts, like concrete and standard steel rods.
How tall would these concrete towers have been? For cheap cell towers, MAYBE. Beyond 60-70 feet? No way. You'd need a helluva crane to haul the blocks beyond that. Not logical. Steel is the way you do this, because each element is taken up the existing tower as you build it.
Along the way, an agent has to backstop his cover. Trade shows would be a way to do so. Register Republican, etc and so on.
A long string of bizarre *coincidences* means, by Occam's Razor, they are not merely coincidences.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/nation/8626951.htm?1c
Posted on Sun, May. 09, 2004
Parents agonize over their son missing in Iraq
BY SANDY BAUERS
Knight Ridder Newspapers
PHILADELPHIA - (KRT) - The last time Nick Berg called home, he was OK.
He had been released from the prison where he had been held for 13 days by Iraqi police for reasons he said he did not know.
He had made his way from Mosul to his Baghdad hotel.
He was finished with being an independent civilian contractor and was coming home to West Chester, Pa.
That was April 9.
And then nothing.
Now, a month later, Berg's parents, Michael and Suzanne, have gone from concerned to frantic.
And they hope that someone, somewhere, can give them the news they desperately want to hear: that Nick Berg is alive, that it is simply taking him a long time to make his way home.
"Our hopes are that he's still in hiding or en route and traveling in a very slow manner," Michael Berg said last week.
A spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq who tracks the number of civilians missing in that country was unavailable for comment.
But in mid-April, coalition spokesman Dan Senor said during a news briefing in Baghdad that about 40 people from 12 countries were missing and presumed hostages, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Nick Berg, 26, owns a business called Prometheus Methods Tower Service Inc. He climbs communications towers to inspect the antennas, the electrical connections and the structure.
He first went to Iraq on Dec. 21. "It was more of an exploratory mission," Michael Berg said. He stayed until Feb. 1, making contact with a company that indicated there would likely be work for him later.
His parents had not wanted him to go. But they say they think he was lured partly by a sense of adventure, partly because he is a "staunch supporter of the government position in Iraq and he wanted to go over there and help."
But when he returned to Iraq on March 14, the company had no work, so Berg began traveling and networking and found some.
He usually called home once a day and e-mailed several times; Michael Berg is his business manager, and they needed to stay in touch.
They spoke on March 24, and Nick Berg told his parents he was coming home on March 30. He was to be in a friend's wedding that weekend.
Then silence.
Michael Berg went to John F. Kennedy International Airport on March 30 anyway, hoping against hope. His son never got off the plane, and an employee of Royal Jordanian airlines later told him Nick Berg was a no-show.
When FBI agents arrived at the Berg's West Chester home on March 31, they were relieved to know their son was alive - although in jail. The agents questioned them about various details that only they and their son would know about.
Jerri Williams, spokeswoman for the Philadelphia FBI office, said the agency was "asked to interview the parents regarding Mr. Berg's purpose in Iraq."
On April 5, the Bergs filed suit in federal court in Philadelphia, contending that their son was being held illegally by the U.S. military in Iraq.
The next day, April 6, Nick Berg was released.
He told his parents he had been riding in a taxi on March 24 when he was arrested by Iraqi officials at a checkpoint in Mosul. He told his parents he had not been mistreated.
The Bergs heard from their son on April 6, 7, 8 and 9. He said he would come home through Jordan, Turkey or Kuwait, whatever looked safest and most feasible.
But by then, hostilities in Iraq had escalated, and Michael Berg said they have not heard from their son since. The Bergs have hounded the State Department, the FBI and the International Committee of the Red Cross, seeking any shred of information.
Michael Berg said the State Department sent an official to Nick Berg's hotel, where an employee told the official they had not heard of him.
The Bergs hired a private investigator, who talked to an American hotel guest who said he remembered Nick Berg, his father said.
So now, they are waiting. Sometimes, they tell themselves their son "is a resourceful fellow who can take care of himself," Michael Berg said. Nick's friends call and say the same thing.
"Other times we think perhaps he was dead on April 10," Michael Berg said.
"My worst fear is that I'll never hear anything."
Shaky. Very shaky.
Dad is an ANSWER wheel.
The "other" Prometheus is part of non-violence.org, an obvious ANSWER affiliate.
The "other" Prometheus is also in the third-world radio business.
Both are from PA.
But they're not related.
"Just another coincidence."
Forrest Gump had nothing on Nick Berg for coincidences.
Bump to my last.
Ah yes, the Falcon and the Snowman. Famous "walk-ons."
When I was a radical leftist, my dad was a Birch Society righty. That would not have stopped him from investing in my business. Nor would it have stopped me from investing in his.
Heck, both are from Philly! And "Pete Tri Dish" the Commie who heads of Prometheus Radio Project has been directly involved in ANSWER activities there. Certainly it's possible that "Pete" and Mike have never met, but.....
Sure. One more oddity buried under 20 extremely bizarre coincidences for "Forrest Berg."
Pete TriDish from "the other Prometheus" is also an ANSWER. They all hail from Philly. They all have to do with third world radio projects.
But they're not related.
Ummm....no.
Check out the name at the bottom again. "PETE TRI-DISH???"
I think these are the same guys, but I can't find the Berg's name anywhere, but on the home page, they mention just getting back from Guatemala (wasn't Nick Berg there?) and it is fow low powered FM stations, and they are located in PA.
Here's a start:
http://www.prometheusradio.org/
http://www.prometheusradio.org/faq_fiscal.shtml
Frequently Asked Questions
Prometheus' crackerjack team of technical types shares the most frequently asked questions and provides the answers.
The Question
What is a fiscal sponsor? Do I need one
The Answer
Many small, unincorporated associations have "fiscal sponsors." A fiscal sponsor is a 501c3 organization which receives money, tax exempt, for the smaller organization. The fiscal sponsor generally has a mission which is in harmony with the mission of the smaller group, and it files tax returns and so on behalf of the smaller organization in exchange for a percentage (often 5%) of the money that they receive from grants for the smaller organization. Obviously, you do not need a fiscal sponsor if your organization already has a 501c3. Also, you can't have a fiscal sponsor unless you do have an organization...individuals are not eligible for fiscal sponsorship.
People can make donations to you if you do not have a fiscal sponsor or a 501c3 organization, but their donations are not tax deductible. Most foundations require that you have at least a fiscal sponsor.
Generally speaking, it takes 6 months to a year to get your 501c3 status. A fiscal sponsor can accept money in the meantime.
Most organizations choose to get their own 501c3 when they start bringing in more than about 25 or 30 thousand dollars a year. Beneath that, it is probably worth it to pay the 5% for the fiscal sponsor, because they take care of the dealings with the IRS for you. Audits can be expensive and time consuming, and can add up to more than 5% of your income anyway.
The Question
I need a fiscal sponsor. do you know any good ones
As a matter of fact, we do. New Society Educational Foundation is a group specifically devoted to supporting small progressive organizations through fiscal sponsorship. You might also be eligible for a $500 start up grant to help your station get off the ground.
Prometheus' own Pete Tridish is on the board, please contact him if you are interested. http://www.nonviolence.org/issues/nsef/
143 posted on 05/14/2004 9:47:50 AM PDT by eyespysomething (The Barbarians are at the Gates. Don't give Kerry the key!)
I watched a 50 foot cell tower made of concrete being put up near a well site, I was working on, only took a small crane and 6 men. The pad and the anchor bolts were laid a couple of days before, the tower was unloaded, some work done to it and raised, everyone then went to lunch.
I don't see how blocks would be better or faster.
They are doing the same with taller towers for overpass lights herebouts.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.