#1501

In my day:

Kennedy: assassinated while I was in diapers

Johnson: from what I have read was a biggot

Nixon: just got caught doing what he needed to do for National Security

Ford: took office via chain of command as Spiro couldn't seem to get his tax papers done correctly or on time or both... as President, Ford proved to be unworthy of the job and that does including tripping on the tarmac to Air Force 1 several times.

Carter: other than his "fireside chats" did little to get this land moving in the right direction

Reagan: no complaints, seemed to have an idea of what needed done and how to execute such, had great charisma as I have read Kennedy had.

Bush: please?! One would think as Vice President would have learned a thing or 2 

Clinton: cool guy but cool guys shouldn't be in politics let alone President of the United States

Bush Jr: was what they had to offer... aside Catrina, the damage to the Great Sphinx, Vietnam and what ever else you want to blame him for; did an alright job

 Obama: I see evil in this man. PERIOD!

I think it is time we looked out side of Government "lifers" and Lawyers to fill this job, maybe someone with accounting in their background?

Piranhacide

   

This strikes me as rather odd; but then again I do live in the United States. Wasn't there a joke about nuclear bomb goes off, safest place would be Ohio, takes 10 years for stuff to get there? Anyway, I was thinking about the "do not call" list; generally applies to land line phones. I am hearing the list of all cell/smart phones was recently thrown out to the piranhas known as "Telemarketers". Well, a new list of phone numbers for the piranhas to fester over. "Fresh meat" so to speak. We will define "Telemarketer" as one that markets products/ services/not profit/political info/one that calls strangers off a random list with the sole intention of passing information, advertisement, etc. Basically an electronic Piranah.

    Go here for piranhacide

     

What are the chances?

     Why Earth? An astounding statement. So if not by God, you are telling me that the Earth is just a coincidence? Just happened that it formed in the perfect place in the Solar System; with the perfect balance of oxygen and nitrogen to support 2 separate life forms? It's too perfect to just be a coincidence. There is obviously Intelligent Design here. I tend to think of myself as one who relies on logic... We have been to Mars; well at least we have sent rovers and satellites to study the planet. I'm thinking a planet sized Sahara desert. Beyond microscopic, there is no life here; and as I can tell the chance of microscopic life on Mars is slim to nil. Our other neighbor Venus is about as hospitable as the inside of a volcano. So why Earth? In our solar system one planet of 8 is hospitable enough to sustain life (as we know it) and not accounting for the asteroid belt or the Kuiper Belt. Would it be safe to say, in astrological terms there is not much "wiggle room" for a planet with life bearing properties? (class M in the old Star Trek series) Add to this Earth is the only planet in the solar system to have 1 moon. As the moon is responsible for the tide could you imagine what more than one moon would do; or no moon at all?

What in the World Happened?

     My heroes growing up? Well there was Popeye, Yosemite Sam, Batman (of course) the list does go on. Do pay attention though, all my heroes where surrounded with violence; and yet I grew up to be a rather Nonviolent individual. Oh and my #1 hero, my dad; owned a recreational fire arm, drank beer, rode a dirt bike and cursed alot (especially when he was repairing his dirt bike)...   All the elements are there... following my heroes I should at least be carrying a weapon. So what happened? What I don't understand in today's youth is the need to be "bad". Several mass killings at schools in the past 10 or so years, hear in the news kids involved in homicides, arrested for carrying an unregistered hand gun, rape and murder, its just a shot away... oh, sorry Rolling Stones; we will cover in another post. Back to the subject at hand, I do see one marked difference. I got by butt (stronger term needed here) whipped with a belt, when necessary. Maybe an 'example' for my brother and sister; I don't remember them getting beat (oops, harsh term) call it "getting corporal punishment". Are the kids taking over? Who's in charge here? After a while (5th grade or so) I did not like school anymore, but I certainly never got the idea to come in with an automatic rifle and kill. I never had the idea in my head that carrying a fire arm was "cool". My dad's pistol was in the house, I was sneaky enough to take it and go to school with it, but I guess I had enough intelligence to not do that. Is there something in the Book of Revelations about kids taking over near the end? Or did I miss that?

 

I'm a little confused...

       Its been a long while (anyway you measure "while") since I went to school. So the memories left have become the more important ones. Getting hurt at recess, the teachers that standout, good and bad, and the other "ingrained in my memory" incidents that occurred in that brief period of my life. One thing I do remember are the bullies; and mind you bullies were not making national news. I often wonder what changed that bullies and bully-ing have become national spot lights. I remember my mom telling me,specifically what boys I was Not allowed to 'hang' with. Generally speaking, these were the known bullies of the local neighborhood. There were times I did not listen to mom, sometimes all went well, others, well these were the times I did get in trouble. The reason I am writing this post is a)I have nothing better to do, and b) I hear news reports featuring bullies. Now, I'm intelligent but not a scholar; hearing stories of  "bullies" causing suicide. Peh....leaz.... Seems to me there are enough issues in this subject to create an entire catalog. If one person were to be held responsible for suicide it would in my book be the victim. Obviously there is more behind this story than just the bully be cruel.  My mom and dad always said, the bully is just trying to be tough; ignore, walk away, report, do what needs to be done, but don't start a fight.  I am just an average guy, well, a bit thin, so I never really wanted to be in a fight. Ignore and walk away was usually my defense. I guess some would refer to that as cowering down; making me the coward at first look. I didn't see it that way; I had enough respect for myself to see it as avoiding a fight. Why give the bully what he is looking for. Like one time at a new high school I attended, this one guy, quite a bit bigger then I told me I was "goofy" so I looked him straight in the eye and said, "Yuk yuk yuk" (you do remember Goofy) walked away. Never heard from him again. 

       I guess this post was spawned from seeing in the "suggested reading" panel on my blog, a blog titled "how to raise kids to not be bullies". I was thinking, if this is a subject that requires research we are in deeper trouble than I thought.

Phones

Trust me man, I don't have alot of experience in cell fones and prefer to stay away from the mini-computers in a pocket like the cranberry or what every they named that one. So I'm lookin to improve the equipment on my cell plan. Pretty easy upgrade as the phone I have is the cheap, give away all the big cell carriers have to draw you in the door. So all I am looking for is like a flip-phone, with a slide out keyboard for texting. Think they call that a QWERTY keyboard. The plot thickens here... as MsNeo is back and looks for keeps, I want to get her a phone too. So looking at what Verizon has, I had my flip-phone all picked out, she is looking at this env-touch. So I am being helped by the guy I talked to on the phone a few days earlier, Mike. MsN is checking the phone, feeling a bit worried as I was still "I don't need much just talk n text" so why she is looking at the env-touch I say to Mike, write it up, she wants that one. Then Mike tells me "you could get 2 of these, and it will cost less" well shit... wtf... nicer phone, and save cost... I'm in. Not only that but for just another some god awfully low monthly fee get a third phone, and another line for her daughter. I mean I am getting all this just about bargain basement price... Life is really sweet sometimes. 

email

optical illusions

I read once this image is used in prisons to determine the mood of prisoners. Though this is a still image it appears to be moving. The faster the movement means aggravation. Moving pretty slow to me.

a lesson in rocket science

The Future Is Now

How can a rocket engine that generates 5,000 degree steam and 13,800 pounds of thrust form icicles at the rim of its nozzle? It's cryogenic. The Common Extensible Cryogenic Engine, CECE for short, has completed its third round of intensive testing. This technology development engine is fueled by a mixture of -297 degree Fahrenheit liquid oxygen and -423 Fahrenheit liquid hydrogen.

The engine components are super-cooled to similar low temperatures. As CECE burns its frigid fuels, gas composed of hot steam is produced and propelled out the nozzle creating thrust. The steam is cooled by the cold engine nozzle, condensing and eventually freezing at the nozzle exit to form icicles. Using liquid hydrogen and oxygen in rockets will provide major advantages for landing astronauts on the moon. Hydrogen is very light but enables about 40 percent greater performance (force on the rocket per pound of propellant) than other rocket fuels. Therefore, NASA can use this weight savings to bring a bigger spacecraft with a greater payload to the moon than with the same amount of conventional propellants. CECE is a step forward in NASA's efforts to develop reliable, robust technologies to return to the moon -- and a winter wonder.

Image Credit: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (Used by permission)