to Mike:

Tom and I were having the following conversation.  We need your help.
It will be obvious by context...


Tom:  This is a promising headline that failed to be as exciting as
promised:
Dutch Cougars Commence Afghanistan Missions
It's about helicopters.
 me:  failure indeed.
 Tom:  It was so promising.
 me:  definately.
I feel ...sad...  like, deep down inside.  a little bit.
 Tom:  I think I could re-write the article, maybe take out 5 words,
 and the ambiguity goes back in.
 me:  hahhaa
 Tom:  Lets see (my edits marked with [ ]):

Tom:  Dutch air force Cougar[s] have begun operations in
Afghanistan. The[y] are based at the airfield in Kandahar and deployed
to provide troops transport for NATO units operating in the
country. The first mission gave the crew an opportunity to become
familiar with some of the difficult terrain in the region, with visits
to Spin Boldak, Tarin Kowt, and Deh Rawood. The [Cougar] was used to
redeploy around 96 personnel. [She] also touched down at Forward
Operating Base Locke, named after Australian Special Air Services
soldier Sgt. Mathew Locke who died in a firefight with the Taliban in
2007.

Five Dutch Cougars are part of the Afghan mission. They belong to 300
Squadron.
The Cougars were brought to Afghanistan by leased Antonov An-124
transports last month from Soesterberg air base. They replace three
Dutch Chinooks belonging to 289 Squadron, which were operating in the
region for about a year.
There.  Keeps the magic alive.
 me:  break
 Tom:  Dutch "support" for NATO troops.
 me:  I love the line: They replace three Dutch Chinooks belonging to
 289 Squadron
I don't know what a Chinook is, but I think we have to define it
 Tom:  Chinook must be a euphamism for something
 me:  needs to be.
I'll ask Mike Andrews.
 Tom:  Great idea

-----------------------------
(later that day, from Mike)

It has to be some sort of drop-in replacement for a Dutch Cougar.  It
can't be like a baked good or a poisonous plant.  Moreover, the
implication is that the Cougars are more well-suited to the task than
their sophomoric Chinooks.  The Dutch Chinooks just weren't
delivering, so they brought in the Cougars.  Where the Cougars are
defined by experience, and worldliness, and having "been around the
block a few times"...  and of course the *unspoken* promise of being
able to take a huge load to the face without blinking, my bet is that
the Chinooks blinked.

What the Dutch have found is that there is an area of the chin - the
nook, as it were - where you can land your great white assault without
fear of blinking.  Anywhere else, and all bets are off.  This
"Chin-nook", or Chinook, can suffice in a time of war.  Over time,
troops' morale suffers. It's standard practice to bring in an
Austrailian Cobra every now and then to maintain maximum payload
efficiency.

It's notable that Dutch females have typically larger chins, and thus
are preferable to, say, Chinooks from tropical climates such as
Jamaica.