HIDE !!!
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Has anyone been able to determine.....where the last few minute(s) volume came from on Friday ? More importantly ( I think )..can any of the T/A experts tell us any charting "ah-ha"s
that may have resulted from the 742000+ share volume -or- anything leading into it that may have been a clue ? EZ
http://stockcharts.com/def/servlet/SC.web?c=hrct,uu[h,a]dhcayimy[db][pd10,2!b20!b50!b200!f][vc60][iu...
xx - follow-up......although this is NOT specific to XMLG
is is a good link on GENERAL info regarding XML. EZ
http://www.xml.com/
LOL ~~~~ SuperSize plEZ.....:)
Mark - Maybe better on iHUB to pose the questions/present the perspective to the "board" versus directly to David. I don't think David is unique in his thoughts/concerns......nor do I think YOUR points are inconsistent w/ others as well. Point being, if we FOCUS our 'discussion/debate' on HRCT (business) we'll continue to carry forward a humungous beneficial forum on iHUB. This is NOT a critique.....just an open msg. to all.
EZ:)
Will do Arch !! Ditto on MUD site :)
Yup, it is XMLG (XML Technology) & would like DD on it.
Sorry, Joshua should have been a little less cryptic :) EZ
NOTE: this is a repost of a msg. I posted on the RB board. It's simply some of my own perspective which I replied to another post. No doubt, a debatable topic....but, that's the nice thing about iHUB ~~~ we can debate w/out attacking one another :) EZ
======================
TaM2 - Your point is well taken, however I would add (note maybe this is in my eyes only).....that a BIG part of the problem is the "message board medium". This (at least RB:) is an OPEN medium for anyone to post anything (w/ little prudent regard to content and/or quality of content). PLEASE...this is NOT an excuse statement by any means......but, I think many of us tend to take printed statements, verbal statements (at mtgs.) as "concrete" statements of fact. When 'in fact' some of it gets lost in symantics...while some of it just plain gets distorted.
One of the KEY miscomprehensions is MANY of us take HRCT plans.....Dr. Phan's planned events / stated timelines / quoted notes AS promises.
There are no promises in business. There are PLANNED business events, business tactics, etc. etc. Sometimes, unfortunately, those 'plans' don't come to fruition...either in totality -or- on the stated timeline.
Does NOT mean the intent (note not promise) was not there....just means "something" prevented it. I may be wrong.......but, I don't remember ANY HRCT/PHAN communication which stated " I promise to IPO SA on such such date/time ". (if wrong no doubt someone will tell me). AGAIN = I want the same thing all of you want....value enhancement / price appreciation for my investment. However, that's driven by PLANS....which I understand....may not be perfect ALL the time. Rambling, aren't I :) (( Have a great weekend )) EZ
David - I think your letter is excellent & very professional in presentation. I look forward to seeing any reply. I think the format in which you presented your position certainly deserves some feedback.
EZ
xx - Is XMLG here ?
EZ
RE: previous post ~~~ as I thought, it defaults to home
page. Just put in HRCT symbol and you're on your way !!
EZ:)
Some good HRCT info on this link. Not new news, just presented in a comprehensive picture. Note: first news link !!
http://www.knobias.com/individual/research/quote.htm
Matt ~ flawless login this morning !!!!!!
EZ
Arch/Muel -- RE: HRCT ??? low volume all day and BAM, nearly 3/4M
shares traded.....most of which in last 10 minutes !!! Can you
add any insights / signs-signals as to WHAT happened / why????
EZ
http://www.otcbb.com/asp/mp_quotes.asp?Sort=4&Quotes=hrct&Board.x=31&Board.y=4
http://www.marketwatch.com/tools/quotes/intchart.asp?symb=HRCT&sid=13860&freq=9&time=1dy
http://www.cnbc.com/stock/last10.html?sym=HRCT
Reid - hope I did this correctly ? EZ B~}
http://www.askresearch.com/cgi-bin/chart?symbol=HRCT&exchange=USA&size=640x480&months=3+...
OT: Oh, I forgot to ADD the latest chapter of the CSCO book :(
=======================
Friday April 20, 7:47 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
Milberg Weiss Files Class Action Suit Against Cisco Systems, Inc.
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 2001--Milberg Weiss (http://www.milberg.com/cisco/) today announced that a class action has been commenced by an institutional investor in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of purchasers of Cisco Systems, Inc. (``Cisco'') (NASDAQ:CSCO - news) common stock during the period between August 10, 1999 and February 6, 2001 (the ``Class Period'').
If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than 60 days from today. If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, please contact plaintiff's counsel, William Lerach or Darren Robbins of Milberg Weiss at 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at wsl@milberg.com. You can join this class action online at http://www.milberg.com/cisco/.
The complaint charges Cisco and certain of its officers and directors with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Cisco and its subsidiaries are engaged in selling products for networking for the Internet. The complaint alleges that by the beginning of the Class Period in 8/99, Internet Service Providers and competitive local telephone companies had technology to deploy but little capital, and Cisco used this as an opportunity to increase its sales by providing capital financing to such companies but making such financing conditional upon the purchase of large amounts of Cisco product. Through this alleged manipulation and the shipment of defective or incomplete products, as well as Cisco's failure to adequately accrue for excess and overvalued inventory and uncollectible finance receivables, Cisco was able to report ``record'' earnings each quarter during the Class Period. Defendants thus made positive but false statements about Cisco's products, financial results and business during the Class Period. As a result, Cisco's stock traded as high as $82.
The inflation in Cisco's stock price was essential to its main corporate strategy, that of growth through acquisition, which Cisco accomplished through the exchange of inflated Cisco shares. In addition, each of the defendants had the motive and the opportunity to perpetrate the fraudulent scheme and course of business described herein in order to sell $595 million worth of their own Cisco shares at prices as high as $80.24 per share, or 84% higher than the price to which Cisco shares dropped after the end of the Class Period, as the true state of Cisco's business and prospects began to reach the market.
After completing more than 20 major acquisitions between 9/99 and 2/01, by issuing more than 400 million shares of Cisco stock, and selling more than 10 million shares of their personal Cisco holdings, on 2/6/01, Cisco announced extremely disappointing 2ndQ F01 results, including EPS of only $0.18. This disclosure shocked the market, causing Cisco's stock to decline to less than $30 per share before closing at $31-1/16 per share on 2/7/01, on record volume of more than 279 million shares, inflicting billions of dollars of damage on plaintiff and the Class. Cisco later admitted that 3rdQ F01 sales would be less than $4.8 billion, or lower than any quarter since the 2ndQ F00. Defendants' misconduct has wiped out over $400 billion in market capitalization as Cisco stock has fallen 84% from its Class Period high of $82 per share as the truth about Cisco, its operations and prospects began to reach the market. On 4/16/01, Cisco announced a $2.5 billion write-down of inventory (or 90% of its inventory as of 1/31/01) of components in its service business. This was one of the largest inventory write-downs in U.S. history. Cisco stock has dropped to as low as $13-3/16.
Plaintiff seeks to recover damages on behalf of all purchasers of Cisco common stock during the Class Period (the ``Class''). The plaintiff is represented by several law firms which have expertise in prosecuting investor class actions and actions involving financial fraud, including Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP.
Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP, a 170-lawyer firm with offices in New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boca Raton, Seattle and Philadelphia, is active in major litigations pending in federal and state courts throughout the United States. Milberg Weiss has taken a leading role in many important actions on behalf of defrauded investors, consumers, and companies, as well as victims of World War II and other human rights violations, and has been responsible for more than $30 billion in aggregate recoveries. The Milberg Weiss website (http://www.milberg.com) has more information about the firm.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP
William Lerach, 800/449-4900
wsl@mwbhl.com
A bit OT: but interesting none the less :)
http://www.economist.com/business/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=581783
Reid: RE: HRCT ??? low volume all day and BAM, nearly 3/4M
shares traded.....most of which in last 10 minutes !!! Can you
add any insights / signs-signals as to WHAT happened / why????
EZ
http://www.otcbb.com/asp/mp_quotes.asp?Sort=4&Quotes=hrct&Board.x=31&Board.y=4
http://www.marketwatch.com/tools/quotes/intchart.asp?symb=HRCT&sid=13860&freq=9&time=1dy
http://www.cnbc.com/stock/last10.html?sym=HRCT
Seems to be getting some attention......XMLG
Thursday April 19, 4:01 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: XML Global Technologies, Inc.
MedChannel Signs Multi License Agreement with XML Global for GoXML(TM) Transform
NEW YORK, NY, April 19 /PRNewswire/ - XML Global Technologies, Inc. (OTC BB: XMLG), a product focused, XML powered, e-business platform company, announced today that MedChannel, a technology company focused on optimizing the medical supply chain, has signed a multi license contract with XML Global for GoXML(TM) Transform which it will integrate into its Collaborative Healthcare Network. The Collaborative Healthcare Network provides global business connectivity, supply chain applications and specialty services to increase efficiency, drive value and reduce costs for all participants in the healthcare industry.
GoXML(TM) Transform is an XML based transformation engine for dynamic exchange of XML, EDI and other data formats. XML-based mapping templates allow transformation of data between XML and a variety of formats, including EDI, relational databases, and flat-file. The patented, rule-driven, Transformation Engine easily handles complex translations with high-flying speed. The GoXML(TM) Transform product is a core component of GoXML(TM) Foundation, a leading XML-based data integration platform launched by XML Global Technologies earlier this month.
``Timely, accurate and accessible information is essential to the healthcare industry,'' stated Peter Shandro, CEO of XML Global, ``yet problems can arise when vital information is distributed in disparate data formats across multiple legacy sources. We are very pleased that MedChannel has chosen GoXML(TM) Transform to support their initiative of quickly and easily bringing on new trading partners to MedChannel's Collaborative Healthcare Network.''
``MedChannel is planning significant growth over the next 24 months,'' said Denis Reilly, COO of MedChannel, ``which will dramatically impact the amount of data stored within our healthcare network. After examining the market, MedChannel concluded GoXML(TM) Transform offers the efficiencies and scalability needed to maintain our growth without compromising the needs of our trading partners.''
MedChannel will integrate XML Global's GoXML(TM) Transform within the next 60 days in order to facilitate accurate data transformation for all participating trading partners. GoXML(TM) Transform will serve as the baseline- messaging data transformation layer that will allow applications in different environments to communicate, enabling MedChannel to create the many-to-many communication environment crucial to its business model.
About MedChannel
Based in San Francisco, MedChannel is focused exclusively on back end
inefficiencies in the healthcare supply chain. The company is building a
collaborative healthcare network, which consists of a technology platform that
provides global business connectivity as well as value-added services designed
to provide bottom line financial benefits. These supply chain applications and
specialty services include contract price management and collaborative
planning to enable dynamic pricing, reduced inventory, and significant cost
reductions. For more information, please visit www.medchannel.com.
About XML Global Technologies, Inc.
XML Global Technologies, Inc. provides an XML-based data integration
platform, GoXML(TM) Foundation, and an application-to-application integration
platform, GoXML(TM) Central. These products form a core framework for
additional expansion as the enterprise builds or enhances its infrastructure.
GoXML(TM) Foundation includes:
Searching: GoXML(TM) Search, a scalable, context-based XML search
engine that delivers precise results.
Transformation: GoXML(TM) Transform, a transformation engine for
dynamic exchange of XML, EDI, and other data formats.
Storage: GoXML(TM) DB, a native XML database with a high
performance query engine.
GoXML(TM) Central is an XML platform for global participation in electronic marketplaces. It uses ebXML methodologies and is designed for interoperability, allowing businesses to find each other, form trading partner agreements, and conduct business electronically. XML Global empowers its clients to build and manage technology platforms for web services, net markets and e-business initiatives. For more information please visit our website at www.xmlglobal.com or call the numbers below.
Forward Looking Statements
All statements are based on XML Global Technologies, Inc.'s current
knowledge and specific assumptions with respect to future business decisions.
The actual results of XML Global Technologies, Inc. may differ materially from
those indicated by these forward looking statements as a result of various
important factors, including, but not limited to, those discussed in the Risk
Factors section of XML Global Technologies' recent registration document, SB-
2/A, which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE: XML Global Technologies, Inc.
OT: for anyone who may have missed it..........
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
April 18, 2001
For Cisco, It's Change or Perish
By Bret Swanson, a technology analyst at the Gilder Technology Report.
Oh, how the mighty fall.
It wasn't so long ago that Cisco Systems was the world's largest company and the envy of all the technology industry. It had exceeded published earnings estimates 14 straight quarters in a row, was hiring like crazy, and had topped $555 billion in market capitalization. These days, Cisco is slashing 15% of its workforce, missing all its numbers and wondering where more than $400 billion of market value went.
To his credit, Cisco head John Chambers saw things coming and was the first chief executive to smartly call on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and for Congress to cut tax rates. But unfortunately for Cisco, Washington getting its act together won't be enough to put the networking company on the rebound. That's because Mr. Chambers's real problems aren't economic. Cisco is increasingly in the wrong business.
Heroic Processing
The company that defined the 1990s and made the Internet possible is being squeezed from above by fiber optics and from below by microchips. It has a core competency in neither. Cisco's great advance was its vision for the first post-telephone network. It developed the architecture and crucial software standards that made the Internet work. Then it cobbled together the chips and wires and code into high-margin boxes that few others knew how to make. But unless Mr. Chambers can set his firm on a new path, Cisco will be remembered as a transitional, if temporarily transformative, enterprise.
The key to understanding Cisco's prospects is to understand the history of communications networks. Real-time communication over a distance was first made possible by Samuel Morse's telegraph, or copper wire carrying electromagnetic signals. As technology evolved we were soon able to send voices, rather than just simple dashes and dots. Voice calls were switched by operators plugging wires into a switchboard. Later, this switching function would be overtaken by mammoth electronic boxes from Lucent and Nortel.
Still, the architecture remained the same for nearly a century: Each telegraph or phone call received its own connection. You may have only used your telephone 20 minutes a day, and you may have only spoken 15% of the time, but the connection was always there. Relative to the application, we had a lot of bandwidth to spare.
Enter the Internet. With the first online services in the early 1990s and the introduction of the Netscape browser in 1994, the data-centric Internet became a phenomenon. E-mails, Web browsing, and later e-commerce threatened to overwhelm the voice-optimized telephone network. The mostly copper telecommunications infrastructure wasn't ready.
Cisco foresaw this data explosion. And it found a way around the narrowband copper links to offices and homes, as well as the more capacious -- but still not big enough -- fiber-optic strands connecting our cities. Cisco discovered that if you didn't give everyone a connection, but instead chopped up the messages and gave the packets a destination, you could throw the packets out into the Internet, let them take any number of paths, and then have them reassemble at the other end. The new Cisco-powered network was ruthlessly efficient. There were no more circuits between users. There was no more silence. The Cisco network used every bit of bandwidth available.
Now, bandwidth scarcity is over and Cisco's time has passed. The new all-optical network doesn't need heroic processing of billions of bits each second. All it must do is change the direction that light travels. The Cisco network treats messages as bits rather than lightwaves, laboriously processing what should simply be steered. It's as if rivers worked not by banking the flow of the stream but by checking and sorting each H2O molecule for its appropriate destination.
KMI reports that in 1999 and 2000 some 150 million kilometers of optical fiber were laid world-wide. Avanex, the leading optical networking company, can make and sort and direct thousands of colors of light, each carrying distinct messages, down a single fiber strand. Yipes is connecting urban business directly to fiber, and wireless start-up Soma Networks can supply residential broadband connections that are faster than copper DSL or broadband cable TV. Cisco and its big, central routers can't handle this second wave of data. And right now it has no back-up strategy.
Focused for too long on routers and other electronic network modules, Cisco doesn't now have the optical capabilities to prosper in a new world of bandwidth abundance. Just weeks ago Cisco announced it would shut down one of its lone optical plays, Monterey Networks. Commenting last May, we noted in the Gilder Technology Report that there were too many real optical companies for Cisco to simply dabble: "Cisco's $500 million investment in Monterey is suddenly irrelevant and will never be a significant factor in the network. . . It's Sonet hardware investment, $7 billion for Cerent, may be even more fruitful than anticipated in the short term . . . but faces an even shorter life expectancy." Indeed, while Cerent was a revenue star in 2000, in 2001 it has already been rendered obsolete by the continually multiplying colors of light from Avanex, ONI, and Sorrento.
Creative Destruction
Of course we will still need electronic terminals and routers and switches at the edges of the network. But if Cisco's failing optical strategy weren't enough, its products are increasingly being disrupted by Moore's Law of microchips. Broadcom, Applied Micro Circuits, EZchip and others are integrating more and more of the functionality of Cisco boxes -- all the wires and separate processors and software -- onto single silicon chips. If the router becomes a chip, what does Cisco have to sell except its software and protocols?
The destruction in the market affords Mr. Chambers a perfect opportunity to practice some creative destruction on his own company. Namely, he needs to remake it in the image of the new all-optical network.
Mucho Gracias Senior` !!!!! It's just another brick in the learning wall :)
Appreciate your time.......and.......expertise ==== got the AOL
hint too !!
EZ
The URGE to MERGE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EZ:)
MD7 ~~~~~ late Friday....Long week humor..........
can we get them to change to:
E-Z-C-O-M-N-G-O :)
New Digital Technologies? Anyone know who they are affiliated with? I'm looking right now..
New Digital Technologies? Anyone know who they are affiliated with? I'm looking right now..
uis ~ this is not my knowledge (actually, I have none:)....but, more posed as question. Isn't that a potential obstacle.....and, maybe related to China business & cultural feelings? I guess if I started the Company....even though I only truly OWN 49% of it.....still a bit emotional about potentially giving up 100% of the reigns. Not saying " I buy that "........but, could it be part of hurdle process???
EZ
MD7 ~ Actually, it may help immensely. Just so I'm understanding correctly......this is the "Streaming" hard side
company reportedly a good fit w/ Steaming Asia's soft side???
Do you have any link to information on New Digital Tech. ??
tia/EZ
YOU are reading my mind.....can we maybe match-up some of the size/value to see if it rings a bell?? I'm still a bit fuzzy though as I thought the "merge" partner potential for SA was another company "attempting to get listing on GEM" via Yuanta...or do I have that a bit confused ????
TIN - cutout from article ie. excerpt ======= does this "partner" reference mean HRCT's subsid's ????? EZ
The current distributing model will increase the competitiveness and supply bigger profits for itself and its partners. In the business of system integration, Legend Digital Co.Ltd will cooperate with its partners to continuously supply the electronic business solutions of suiting Chinese users for the enterprises in finance, Trade, Tax and some small-middle manufacturing enterprises.
Matt ~ gotta tell both sides.....just logged in.....checked
the little box and presto/gumbo ======= FIRST time perfect !!!
EZ :)
Reid - can you help ? note: this is a repost, not my own. EZ
A little TA help please
I think STAA will see some considerable volatility before it takes a strong direction upwards. I have confirmed the negative post on RB was false (company directly said it was untrue). I also know the CEO (this is the new guy I really like) is going on a Wall Street tour shortly. Other fundamentals appear to be in line as well. However, due to the market, its small size and the volatility of its sector, I think it will trade on technicals more than fundamentals. Since TA is not my strong suit, I would really appreciate the opinions of some of our fortune tellers. Regards, pmcw
FYI............
OT: Here's some bad news...
(COMTEX) B: Judge blocks move to ID chat critics
B: Judge blocks move to ID chat critics
SEATTLE, Apr 20, 2001 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A federal
judge blocked an Internet company's efforts to find out identities of chat room
participants who anonymously trashed the firm's reputation. The Seattle Times
said the judge ruled Thursday that the now-bankrupt company's concerns about
stock manipulation did not outweigh the right to free speech.
Copyright 2001 by United Press International.
-0-
deleted :)
Matt ~ Get in the car.....still same problems logging in.....
won't log in, shows logged in & NOT, hit refresh....sometimes it logs in / other times it does not....ugh :(
EZ (p.s. happened just seconds ago)
Hartcourt partner here......hope this benefits us going forward!!
Friday, April 20, 2001
China's Legend to diversify
REUTERS in Beijing
China's top personal computer maker Legend Holdings will diversify its business despite the booming domestic market for its key product, company chairman Liu Chuanzhi said.
"The product mix will be changed in line with the actual situation," he said on Thursday. "We will gradually move from personal computers into areas such as Internet access equipment, mobile phones and servers."
But Legend would stay within the information technology (IT) sector, while strengthening its position as China's top personal computer producer, Mr Liu said.
Mr Liu was upbeat about the prospects for China's computer market, which he said defied a global slowdown in sales. "We still cannot see any signs of weakness in the Chinese market," he said.
Legend said it shipped 773,000 computers during the quarter to December 31, 2000, beating forecasts of 700,000 to 750,000 units and exceeding the 718,000 sold in the previous quarter.
A-share listing considered
Legend, which is listed in Hong Kong, was considering listing on China's domestic A share market by issuing depository receipts, Mr Liu said.
"But there are still legal constraints and this will depend on the China Securities Regulatory Commission," he said.
Current rules bar red-chip firms - mainland-backed firms registered and listed in Hong Kong - from issuing shares directly in the A share market but depository receipts could circumvent the barrier, industry officials say. Many red-chip companies prefer tapping the liquid A-share market because of its lofty valuations.
Mr Liu said the company's plan to spin-off its distribution arm for foreign brands - Digital China Holdings - would benefit Legend's development.
"We believe long-term holders of Legend's shares will definitely gain benefits from this," he said.
Legend plans to spin-off Digital China Holdings by issuing stock to existing shareholders for a Hong Kong listing.
Analysts say this would make Legend stock more attractive to investors because it will strip a less profitable and slower growing business from its books.
But analysts are worried the move could diminish revenue streams and are unhappy about the unclear valuation of Digital China.
Mornin' Ron ~~~~ nothing like hearing it from
the "horse's mouth".....or.....the "muel's head" :)
Wear Your HardHat :)
HRCT / iHUB viewers....I've posted a few board links early on.....but, if you have not viewed some of the boards here on iHUB ~~~~ YOU are really missing out on GREAT stuff. Here is just ONE which has HUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEE insight/value.
EZ
http://www.investorshub.com/beta/board.asp?board_id=329
OT: Interesting first hand account of the rescue mission
----- Original Message -----
From: David L. Roberts <mailto:robertsdl@mindspring.com>
To: RETIRED PILOTS COMMUNICATIONS NET <mailto:robertsdl@mindspring.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2001 3:51 PM
Subject: AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE CHINA RESCUE MISSION
Subject: AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE CHINA RESCUE MISSION
This was sent to me by an old friend, a retired USAF Colonel.This is long
but a good read. It's the rescue mission to pick up our 24 crew members of
the ill fated P-3 in China, as seen from the crew of the Continental flight
which made the trip. Thought you might enjoy reading it.
Dave
===================================================================
April 12, 2001
By Captain Guy Greider
Continental Airlines
Since the mid-air collision on April 1,2001 between a U.S. Navy EP-3
surveillance aircraft and a Chinese jet fighter, I had watched the news with
mild interest. This was mostly due to the proximity of Guam to China. I
never dreamed that I would playa role in this intensely watched
international drama.
Somewhere in the negotiations between the United States and the Chinese
Governments, it was decided that a civilian aircraft should be sent to
retrieve the 24 crew members being detained on Hainan Island, China.
A call was made to Continental Airlines headquarters in Houston, Texas.
Continental was chosen because of its Guam base and its ability to launch
this kind of operation at a moments notice. From there, the operation took
shape through the tireless efforts of many people working behind the scenes
in a coordinated effort between the airline, the military, and the State
Department.
On Saturday, April 7, 2001, I received a call at home from Captain Ralph
Freeman, Continental Micronesia Director of Flight Operations. Ralph told
me that the military wanted to charter one of our jets to conduct a rescue
mission and asked if I would be one of the crew members. I said yes without
hesitation.
Later we were told that we would need to get passport pictures taken in case
the Chinese Government required visas. We got the required photos and were
under the impression that we would leave immediately. However, the
negotiations slowed over the demand from the Chinese that the U.S. issue an
apology that the U.S. was unwilling to give. Meanwhile, the Continental
crew remained on call 24 hours a day. Our Uniforms were laid out and our
bags were packed and waiting by the door.
On Wednesday evening April 11, 2001, at about 630 PM Ralph called again to
say that the two parties were very close to an agreement to release the U.S.
crew and to come to the airport. Upon arrival, we were given a briefing
sheet listing the information that we would need to conduct the flight.
We would carry a Repatriation Team consisting of Navy, Marine Corps, and Air
Force specialists, 14 people in all. Doctors, Psychologists, and
communications people with lots of gear showed up on the ramp near the
airplane, ready to board. They were all dressed in casual civilian clothes.
The 155 seat jet was fitted with 2 full stretcher kits bolted in over rows
of seats complete with Oxygen tanks and I.V. bottles. They did not know the
condition of the 24 detained crew members and they were not going to take
any chances. They were prepared.
When our crew was fully assembled, it consisted of 11 people. 2 pilots to
fly the jet and an extra to provide relief because of the extensive flight
time involved. They were Captain Tom Pinardo, Captain Pierre Frenay and I.
We also carried 5 very experienced Flight Attendants.
They were Debbie Percell, Susanne Hendricks, Jean Tang, Cynthia Iverson, and
Beverly Haines. Our 2 onboard mechanics were Peter Lum and Julius Aguilo.
Our load planner was Mike Torres.
At about 930 PM we received a call asking that we arrive in China no earlier
than 600 AM, just about sunrise. It was obvious that the entire exchange
would be photographed and they wanted day light conditions.
We estimated that a 215 AM departure from Guam would put us on the ground in
Haikou precisely at 600 AM local China time. (2 hours earlier than Guam)
Some of us just stayed on the plane, others accepted the company's
invitation to come to the Continental Presidents Club, a local VIP lounge at
the airport to try to get some rest. It was difficult to get any rest with
our much anticipated mission so near.
By 100 AM the pilots were back in the briefing room going over the weather,
flight plan, fuel requirements and everything else that goes into a flight.
Again, we loaded up the airplane and finally departed Guam International at
precisely 215 AM.
The stretcher kits and medical gear were not the only special additions to
the airplane. The company had loaded a special file into the navigation
database of the flight management computer (FMC). This allowed us to gain
access to navigation data needed to operate in this part of China, which is
not in our normal route structure. The Repatriation Team carried
sophisticated equipment to communicate with the military and government
officials that would monitor our progress throughout the flight.
The route of flight took us straight west from Guam toward the Philippines
along the G467 airway. About half way across we turned north directly
toward Hong Kong. This routing was designed to avoid flying through
Taiwanese airspace, something that the Chinese could consider offensive.
Approaching the Chinese coastline, we contacted Hong Kong radar control.
After establishing radar contact with us, the controller gave us a short cut
to expedite his traffic flow. This was bad because it cut off considerable
distance and would result in arriving too early. We compensated by slowing
our airspeed until the computer again estimated a 600 AM arrival. The
instant we turned across the short cut, the inter phone rang from the back
of the plane. They wanted to know why we had deviated from the flight plan.
We told them it was due to Hong Kong traffic and that we had adjusted our
airspeed. We were still on schedule.
Now we were approaching our destination, Haikou airport on Hainan Island.
Captain Pierre Frenay was at the controls. The weather was 2000 ft overcast
with 5 miles visibility and light winds out of the east.
Pierre made an ILS approach to and landed on runway 9. Haikou airport is
much the same as many other airports in the world that serve jet transport
aircraft. It has an 11,000-ft runway with standard lighting and
navigational facilities. We touched down at 607 AM. The first early
morning light was beginning to illuminate the sky. The local air traffic
controller instructed us to follow a vehicle that was beside us on an
adjacent taxiway. He led us to a remote part of the airport, away from the
main terminal buildings.
Once we had parked and shut down the engines, we saw many uniformed Chinese
military personnel and vehicles. They did not appear to have weapons.
Portable stairs were brought up to the airplane and we opened the main cabin
door.
The Repatriation Team that we carried had been briefed to close down all of
their communications equipment prior to landing and put it away.
They were also briefed to remain in their seats in a non-threatening posture
in case the Chinese military came aboard. The first and only person to come
aboard was an Air China employee. He spoke English and was to act as the
translator between our group and the Chinese military. He instructed us to
have everyone fill out both arrival and departure documents. He collected
all of our passports and left the aircraft.
Before he left, he said that only one person at a time would be allowed to
deplane. Peter Lum, one of our mechanics went down to supervise the
re-fueling and servicing of the airplane. When that was complete, I went
down to do the walk-around inspection. I did this rather slowly because I
wanted to have a chance to look around. While I was out on the ramp, a
skirmish developed between people who were trying to climb a wall to
photograph our aircraft and the Chinese police. Somehow, CNN managed to
carry our arrival and departure live.
Once the airplane was serviced and ready to go, we looked anxiously around
for any sign of the buses that carried our 24 detainees. Before that could
happen however, we had a problem to deal with. A U.S. military General who
was on the scene to assist in the transfer came storming up the stairs and
demanded to speak with the Captain. Tom Pinardo responded. The General
said that the entire mission was now in jeopardy. A document called the
general declaration, which is standard on all international flights, had
listed the destination as Haikou, China R.O.C. The initials ROC stand for
Republic of China which is .. Taiwan! The Chinese were very upset over
this. Tom quickly crossed out ROC and replaced it with P.R.O.C., the
Peoples Republic of China. This seemed to satisfy them.
With the airplane ready to go and the paperwork complete, 2 buses pulled up
and the 24 U.S. service men and women saluted as they bolted up the stairs
and settled into the back of the plane. When the last one was aboard, our
passports were returned to us. The stairs were withdrawn, the cabin door
closed, and we started the engines and departed. It was my turn at the
controls.
Once airborne heading straight south we broke through the clouds into the
bright sunshine. Pierre made a PA announcement that we were over
international waters and leaving Chinese airspace. A great cheer rose from
the back of the airplane. A short while later we received a telephone patch
over the HF radio from Mr. Joseph Prueher, U.S. Ambassador to China. He
wanted to speak with Lt. Shane Osborne the 26 year old EP-3 Aircraft
Commander. Lt. Osborne came to the cockpit and put on a headset. The
Ambassador told him that on behalf of the President of the United States and
the entire country he wanted to say welcome home . He went on to say how
proud he was of everything the crew had done from their airmanship in saving
the lives of the crew and aircraft, to their conduct on the ground once they
had been detained.
They had truly done an excellent job.
After his conversation with the Ambassador, Lt. Osborne stayed in the
cockpit for quite a while and told us his story pilot to pilot of what had
happened during and immediately after the mid-air collision with the F-8
Chinese fighter. The fighter came up under their left wing. This pilot
made 2 very close passes previously that day. He apparently misjudged the
intercept and his vertical stabilizer struck the outboard left propeller on
the EP-3. The U.S. plane was in straight and level flight on auto pilot at
the time.
The fighter broke into two pieces and plunged into the sea. The U.S. plane
rolled to the left almost inverted, the pilot lost control and they began to
lose altitude. The Chinese fighter had raked back across the fuselage and
knocked off the nose cone causing the aircraft to buffet wildly. When the
nose cone departed the aircraft it collided with and damaged the number 4
propeller on the right wing. The collision punctured the pressure vessel
and the EP-3 depressurized. The collision also knocked off the pitot tubes
eliminating airspeed and altitude indications in the cockpit. It also
knocked off the forward bracket for the HF radio antenna. The antenna then
flew back and wrapped around the tail.
We were almost upside down and totally out of control Osborne told us.
The dive continued and some crew members donned parachutes. At about 8,000
feet, Osborne regained straight and level flight. They considered ditching
the aircraft in the South China Sea but dismissed that option because it was
certain to result in loss of life. They headed for the nearest land, Hainan
Island. The U.S. crew now faced the most difficult landing of their lives.
They made numerous mayday, mayday, mayday radio calls on internationally
recognized emergency frequencies. The Chinese did not respond. Somehow,
they managed to get the airplane on the ground.
Their next immediate task was to destroy the sensitive electronic
surveillance equipment aboard the EP-3. Meanwhile the Chinese military had
approached the aircraft in vehicles and were yelling at them through
loudspeakers to deplane. The next 11 days would be a very uncertain time
for them.
When we met them, they told us that they had not been abused or mistreated.
Their food was adequate and plentiful. Sort of like eating in a Chinese
restaurant every day one of them said. On the forth day, they got some
coffee. On the fifth day, some cokes were provided. The crew did not know
what kind of transport would be provided for their return home. They were
pleased and surprised to see a chartered airliner from the United States.
The rest of the flight from Haikou to Anderson AFB on Guam was uneventful.
During the 5 hour flight the crew was treated to the movie Men of Honor and
enjoyed a first class meal. We did not know it at the time but our landing
at Anderson AFB was carried live on national television. We taxied to the
parking ramp at Anderson where many people had turned out to welcome all of
us home. Individuals and families with kids, both military and civilian
waved American flags and cheered, showing support for the returning U.S. spy
plane crew. Once the 24 U. S. crewmembers and the military Repatriation
Team had deplaned at Anderson, they immediately boarded waiting buses and
were whisked away.
The Continental crew then became the object of intense media attention.
CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, Reuters and various print media interviewed us. A
dizzying swirl of attention after a very long day. We were happy, tired,
and pleased that the mission was so successful as Tom flew the last segment,
a 10-minute flight back to Guam International Airport. This time our
passengers included Bill Meehan, President of Continental Micronesia, Guam
Governor Carl Gutierrez, Lieutenant Governor Bordallo and others.
We thought the day was just about over but we had one more surprise in
store. After landing, we were given a heros welcome of our own. The
airport fire department was in place to give us the traditional water cannon
salute, a rainbow arch of water for us to taxi under. A reception was held
at the gate with food, balloons, commemorative plaques, and more media
interviews with the local television station.
This was very heady stuff.
As I look back on this one of a kind operation. It could not have happened
without the tremendous effort and skills of many people working behind the
scenes. Bill Meehan, Mitch Dubner at the SOCC in Houston, Tom Rinow at the
CMI SOCC, Captain Ralph Freeman, CMI Director of Flight Operations, and many
others had major rolls in coordinating this flight. It was accomplished
through teamwork. The fact that it came off without a hitch is testimony to
how well all these people did their jobs.
The exposure that Continental Airlines received over this is a marketing
managers dream come true. We will be remembered by millions of people as
the company who conducted the China Rescue Mission. This was a proud day
for Continental Airlines and for America.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
THE RETIRED PILOTS COMMUNICATIONS NET
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Fraternally,
David - for purposes of ensuring everyone (who want to view them on both boards) this post will stay. I "will reiterate" my response from the RB board. My post was posted to NO ONE specifically (look at the posted msg.)....and, was served up as a "general opinon" from me on that board forum. Your message specifically is aimed at me....but, that's OK --- I have broad shoulder :)
EZ (this is the end of this line of conversation by me)
If this offends anyone on this board / or / violates the board--iHUB rules.....drop me a private mailbox msg. and it will be removed. Just thought it would be pertinent to "repost" from RB
msg. which I posted. EZ
==================================
GeEZ...comon' everyone....settle down!! NONE of this is any big surprise....First, Hartcourt is a very small company (otc-bb)...and, subsid's are foreign owned businesses which most people (cept' ones on this board) know little/if anything about. A otc-bb company has 1 simple way to communicate >>> in many cases that means directly ie. letters, little mtgs., an occasional formal mtg., more letters, a few emails, maybe a "live streaming broadcast now and then"......but, it's about they only way they can reach out, as needed. This is NOT Microsoft or IBM or GE or whatever. It's a small otc-bb stock company working hard to "make things happen". At risk when the "close" communication takes place are things being said, things mis-heard......and LOFTY expectations floated about on hopes/dreams. IT IS NOT JUST HRCT....go to about any other otc-bb stock and you will see many similiarities.
To an extent....the bashers on this board are CORRECT....it's their delivery which is questionable === this is a otc-bb stock which FLOATED WAY over realistic values and now has settled down to more realistic levels....which is painful....but, still battling to bring the plans in ==== in an imperfect world. For goodness sakes LIVE w/ your decision....first to buy, second to NOT sell when it was at an all-time high.....quit blaming Phan and the operating companies for your own decisions/frustrations aka. GROW-UP !! :)