Don Dale

 

In the early 70s I was the Technical Director for WTVR-TV6 in Richmond, Virginia. Don Dale was the News Director. On December 28, 2015 he suffered a fatal heart attack. 

Don was a native Richmonder and since 2009 has chronicled his life and thoughts in a blog:
http://nodelad.blogspot.com I discovered much about him from that.

Real Life X-Wing Fighter

The Warthog

 The paint scheme on the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II disguises a 30 mm cannon capable of 4,200 rounds per minute. 

Compare the size of a 30 mm bullet to standard ammunition:

The Warthog is used for ground combat and can be armed with laser guided bombs and Sidewinder missiles.

 The fuselage of the aircraft is built around the cannon. The GAU-8/A is mounted slightly to the port side; the barrel in the firing location is on the starboard side at the 9 o'clock position so it is aligned with the aircraft's centerline. The gun's 5-foot, 11.5-inch (1.816 m) ammunition drum can hold up to 1,350 rounds of 30 mm ammunition.

 

Since the early 70s the A-10 has been supporting our military with deadly force. 

Star Wars

In 1977 I took my 4 year old to see Star Wars. 

This past week I caught up on the sequels that have been produced since then. We have VHS copies of the original trilogy and two of the other episodes. Yesterday I discovered Revenge of the Sith on YouTube and watched that, too. In all this time I had never watched them and did not pay much attention to the franchise other than to find the toys and games my children wanted. Today I started on Episode IV after watching I, II and III in order. 

I was shocked to discover that Anakin Skywalker had no father. His was a miracle birth. After all these years I had not heard of this. Darth Vader became much more significant. History has myths of many others whose mother was not impregnated by a human.

Fantasy has its place. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miraculous_births

I have been trying to ascertain the number of ticket sales versus the monetary value of sales for the opening of Episode VI - supposedly the record of all sales in history. BUT, considering the  inflation rate of movie ticket cost how does the number of individual ticket sales compare to historic records of previous movies?

The records are controlled by the movie industry. Search for number of sales and all that will be displayed are monetary values NOT number of tickets.

 

Rescue desktops

These  are the computers I recently rebuilt:

Dell Dimension 2400
 Socket 478
 Pentium4 2.4GHz
 DDR1 2GB
 Dell UltraSharp 1900FP Monitor 

AcerPower SV desktop
 Socket 478
 Pentium4 2.6GHz
 DDR1 2GB
 Dell 19" 1920x1080 Monitor
 Dual-Boot
 Ubuntu 15.10
 Ubuntu 14.04LTS

HP Pavilion a744x desktop
 Socket LGA775
 Pentium4 2.93GHz
 DDR1 4GB 
 KDS 17" 1280x1024 Monitor w/speakers
 Ubuntu 14.04LTS

Asus T2 P desktop
 Socket 478
 Pentium4 2.26GHz
 DDR1 2GB
 Dell 17" 1280x1024 Monitor
 Dual-Boot
 Windows XP Professional SP3
 Lubuntu 14.04LTS

Antec 300 desktop
 Socket LGA775
 4x Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8200 @ 2.33GHz
 DDR2 RAM
 Dell 22" 1920x1080 Monitor
 Multi-Boot
 Ubuntu 12.04LTS
 Ubuntu 14.04LTS
 Ubuntu 15.10

Dell 690 work station
 Socket LGA771
 Intel Xeon 5130 CPU 2.00GHz (x2)
 DDR2 RAM
 Dell 19" 1280x1024 Monitor
 Windows 7 Professional


HP Pavilion dv7-4165dx Notebook
 Windows 7 Home Media Edition

 Compaq Presario CQ56 Notebook
 Windows 7 

Toshiba Satellite P745 Notebook
 Winows 7 Home Premium 64bit

Starfish Prime

Starfish Prime Test Interim Report by Commander JTF-8 - 7:45 - Sound - STARFISH PRIME, was one of the high-altitude nuclear tests in the Operation Fishbowl series conducted in the Pacific Proving Ground in 1962. It was launched in the Johnston Island area to an altitude of about 400 kilometers by a Thor rocket and had a yield of 1.4 megatons.

The test evaluated the capabilities of an antiballistic missile to operate in a nuclear environment and the vulnerability of a U.S. reentry vehicle to survive a nearby nuclear blast. It also provided information on the ability of a U.S. radar system to detect and track reentry vehicles. Another goal was to discern the effects of a high-altitude blast on command and control systems, which were shown to be vulnerable in earlier high-altitude tests. The final goal was to obtain information on the feasibility of testing in outer space.

Fishbowl Auroral Sequences - 7:50 - Color - Silent - BLUEGILL and STARFISH were high-altitude nuclear tests, part of Operation Fishbowl, conducted in the Johnston Island area of the Pacific Proving Ground in 1962. These tests produced auroral effects, a special feature of explosions where the extreme brightness of the fireball is visible at great distances. Within a second or two after the burst, a brilliant aurora appears from the bottom of the fireball.

The formation of the aurora is attributed to the motion, along the lines of the earths magnetic field, of beta particles emitted by the radioactive fission fragments. About a minute after the detonation, the aurora could be observed in the Samoan Islands, 2000 miles from the detonation. These auroras could be seen for approximately 20 minutes. The video shows footage of the auroras from Somoa, Mauna Loa (Hawaiian Islands) and Tongtapu (Tonga Islands) at various film speeds.

Dominic on Fishbowl Phenomenon - 1:12 - Color - Silent - Operation Fishbowl was the high-altitude testing portion of a larger Operation Dominic I. This video is a compilation of footage of the five nuclear tests comprising Operation Fishbowl conducted in the Johnston Island area of the Pacific Proving Ground in 1962. A high-altitude burst is one occurring above 100,000 feet. The video does not identify the date, time or name of the tests.

When a nuclear weapon detonates at a high altitude, many of the effects are attenuated. Most of the x-ray energy is absorbed in the air, which decreases the fireball temperature. Absorption of thermal x-ray energy also decreases the energy available for a shock wave. This all results in the development of a toroidal or donut-shaped cloud instead of the usual mushroom shape of ground or near ground explosions.

This also shows the auroral effect of high-altitude explosions where the extreme brightness of the fireball is visible at great distances. Within a second or two after the burst, a brilliant aurora appears from the bottom of the fireball. The formation of the aurora is attributed to the motion, along the lines of the earths magnetic field, of beta particles emitted by the radioactive fission fragments. About a minute after the detonation, the aurora can be observed from as far away as 2000 miles. These auroras can be seen for approximately 20 minutes.

Fishbowl XR Summary - 34:38 - Black&White - Silent - The video shows the five, rocket-launched, Operation Fishbowl tests at various camera speeds and from different camera locations. Operation Fishbowl was the Department of Defenses high-altitude testing portion of Operation Dominic I, conducted in the Johnston Island area of the Pacific Proving Ground in 1962. In a high-altitude blast, many of the effects are attenuated, resulting in a toroidal or donut-shaped cloud instead of the mushroom cloud from a surface burst. These weapons-effects tests, launched by Strypi, Thor, and Nike Hercules rockets, were as follows:

STARFISH PRIME, July 9, 400-kilometer altitude, 1.4 megaton
CHECKMATE, October 20, tens of kilometers altitude, low (less than 20 kt)
BLUEGILL 3 PRIME, October 26, tens of kilometers altitude, submegaton (less than 1 Mt, but more than 200 kt)
KINGFISH, November 1, tens of kilometers altitude; submegaton (less than 1 Mt, but more than 200 kt)
TIGHTROPE, November 4, tens of kilometers altitude, low (less than 20 kt)
Two goals of these tests were to determine if radiation and blast and heat effects of high- altitude detonations were capable of neutralizing an enemy reentry vehicle and capable of determining the blackout effects on radar and communications of various yields and altitudes of bursts.

Budweis - er

Budweiser - King of Marketing

THE TRUTH ABOUT BUDWEISER:

In the 1860s August Busch traveled extensively in Europe to observe and study the latest brewing techniques. He found a brewer in Budweis, Czechoslovakia dating back to the 13th century in the Kingdom of Bohemia and marketing a beer called Budweiser Budvar since 1785. They call their beer "The Beer of KIngs" (sound familiar?).

Busch copied their brewing style and became the first American brewer to use pasteurization for greater shelf-life and distribution then introduced a lager called Budewiser in 1876. In the mid-1800s, most Americans preferred robust, dark ales. Busch dared consumers to drink Budweiser for five days, and if on the sixth day, they still preferred the taste of other beers, they could go back.

August A. Busch Jr. became president of Anheuser-Busch in 1946 and began the creation of a national network of breweries. A new brewery was opened in Newark, New Jersey in 1951, and was the first of nine to open over the next 25 years. Genius advertising and marketing advanced Budweiser to the number one seller in America.

In 2008 the growth of craft beer in the United States was noticed by the Anheuser-Busch company as the future of beer and the brand was sold to InBev, a Belgium company that is the largest brewer in the world.

To save money the new company, called AB InBev, changed the recipe. Whole rice grains have now been replaced by broken ones, and the high quality Hallertauer Mittelfrüh hop has been phased out. A former top AB InBev executive says the company saved about $55 million a year substituting cheaper hops in Budweiser and other U.S. beers.

On October 13, 2015, Anheuser-Busch InBev made a bid of $106 billion for Miller beer who was sold to South African Breweries in 2002 for $5.6 billion. In 2013, it had a net profit of US$14.4 billion on sales of US$43.2 billion. The newly formed brewer will own over 200 beer brand names:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_InBev_brands


Pabst is still an American owned brewery but is virtual. All of their brewing is contracted out to ABMiller. They own Schlitz, Stroh, Ballentine, Falstaff and many more American brands all brewed by ABMiller.

Pope Francis’ historic address to Congress

Full text: Pope Francis’ historic address to Congress

09/24/15, 10:30 AM EDT

Mr. Vice-President,

Mr. Speaker,

Honorable Members of Congress,

Dear Friends,

I am most grateful for your invitation to address this Joint Session of Congress in "the land of the free and the home of the brave." I would like to think that the reason for this is that I too am a son of this great continent, from which we have all received so much and toward which we share a common responsibility.

Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility. Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation. You are the face of its people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.

Yours is a work which makes me reflect in two ways on the figure of Moses. On the one hand, the patriarch and lawgiver of the people of Israel symbolizes the need of peoples to keep alive their sense of unity by means of just legislation. On the other, the figure of Moses leads us directly to God and thus to the transcendent dignity of the human being. Moses provides us with a good synthesis of your work: you are asked to protect, by means of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human face.

Today I would like not only to address you, but through you the entire people of the United States. Here, together with their representatives, I would like to take this opportunity to dialogue with the many thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day's work, to bring home their daily bread, to save money and — one step at a time — to build a better life for their families. These are men and women who are not concerned simply with paying their taxes, but in their own quiet way sustain the life of society. They generate solidarity by their actions, and they create organizations which offer a helping hand to those most in need.

I would also like to enter into dialogue with the many elderly persons who are a storehouse of wisdom forged by experience, and who seek in many ways, especially through volunteer work, to share their stories and their insights. I know that many of them are retired, but still active; they keep working to build up this land. I also want to dialogue with all those young people who are working to realize their great and noble aspirations, who are not led astray by facile proposals, and who face difficult situations, often as a result of immaturity on the part of many adults. I wish to dialogue with all of you, and I would like to do so through the historical memory of your people.

My visit takes place at a time when men and women of good will are marking the anniversaries of several great Americans. The complexities of history and the reality of human weakness notwithstanding, these men and women, for all their many differences and limitations, were able by hard work and self-sacrifice — some at the cost of their lives — to build a better future. They shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the American people. A people with this spirit can live through many crises, tensions and conflicts, while always finding the resources to move forward, and to do so with dignity. These men and women offer us a way of seeing and interpreting reality. In honoring their memory, we are inspired, even amid conflicts, and in the here and now of each day, to draw upon our deepest cultural reserves.

I would like to mention four of these Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.

This year marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the guardian of liberty, who labored tirelessly that "this nation, under God, (might) have a new birth of freedom". Building a future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity.

All of us are quite aware of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing social and political situation of the world today. Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind. A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms. But there is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners. The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps. We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place. That is something which you, as a people, reject.

Our response must instead be one of hope and healing, of peace and justice. We are asked to summon the courage and the intelligence to resolve today's many geopolitical and economic crises. Even in the developed world, the effects of unjust structures and actions are all too apparent. Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples. We must move forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common good.

The challenges facing us today call for a renewal of that spirit of cooperation, which has accomplished so much good throughout the history of the United States. The complexity, the gravity and the urgency of these challenges demand that we pool our resources and talents, and resolve to support one another, with respect for our differences and our convictions of conscience.

In this land, the various religious denominations have greatly contributed to building and strengthening society. It is important that today, as in the past, the voice of faith continue to be heard, for it is a voice of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in each person and in each society. Such cooperation is a powerful resource in the battle to eliminate new global forms of slavery, born of grave injustices which can be overcome only through new policies and new forms of social consensus.

Here I think of the political history of the United States, where democracy is deeply rooted in the mind of the American people. All political activity must serve and promote the good of the human person and be based on respect for his or her dignity. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." If politics must truly be at the service of the human person, it follows that it cannot be a slave to the economy and finance. Politics is, instead, an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest common good: that of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social life. I do not underestimate the difficulty that this involves, but I encourage you in this effort.

Here too I think of the march which Martin Luther King led from Selma to Montgomery fifty years ago as part of the campaign to fulfill his "dream" of full civil and political rights for African Americans. That dream continues to inspire us all. I am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of "dreams." Dreams which lead to action, to participation, to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people.

In recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their dream of building a future in freedom. We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners. I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants. Tragically, the rights of those who were here long before us were not always respected. For those peoples and their nations, from the heart of American democracy, I wish to reaffirm my highest esteem and appreciation. Those first contacts were often turbulent and violent, but it is difficult to judge the past by the criteria of the present. Nonetheless, when the stranger in our midst appeals to us, we must not repeat the sins and the errors of the past. We must resolve now to live as nobly and as justly as possible, as we educate new generations not to turn their back on our "neighbors" and everything around us. Building a nation calls us to recognize that we must constantly relate to others, rejecting a mind-set of hostility in order to adopt one of reciprocal subsidiarity, in a constant effort to do our best. I am confident that we can do this.

Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions. On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for our own children? We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

This Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves. Let us help others to grow, as we would like to be helped ourselves. In a word, if we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us. The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.

This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes. Recently my brother bishops here in the United States renewed their call for the abolition of the death penalty. Not only do I support them, but I also offer encouragement to all those who are convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.

In these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention the Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement. Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.

How much progress has been made in this area in so many parts of the world! How much has been done in these first years of the third millennium to raise people out of extreme poverty! I know that you share my conviction that much more still needs to be done, and that in times of crisis and economic hardship a spirit of global solidarity must not be lost. At the same time I would encourage you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be given hope. The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts, especially in its causes. I know that many Americans today, as in the past, are working to deal with this problem.

It goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth. The right use of natural resources, the proper application of technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential elements of an economy which seeks to be modern, inclusive and sustainable. "Business is a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving the world. It can be a fruitful source of prosperity for the area in which it operates, especially if it sees the creation of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good." This common good also includes the earth, a central theme of the encyclical which I recently wrote in order to "enter into dialogue with all people about our common home." "We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all."

In Laudato Si', I call for a courageous and responsible effort to "redirect our steps," and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity. I am convinced that we can make a difference and I have no doubt that the United States — and this Congress — have an important role to play. Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a "culture of care" and "an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature." "We have the freedom needed to limit and direct technology"; "to devise intelligent ways of... developing and limiting our power"; and to put technology "at the service of another type of progress, one which is healthier, more human, more social, more integral." In this regard, I am confident that America's outstanding academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution in the years ahead.

A century ago, at the beginning of the Great War, which Pope Benedict XV termed a "pointless slaughter", another notable American was born: the Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. He remains a source of spiritual inspiration and a guide for many people. In his autobiography he wrote: "I came into the world. Free by nature, in the image of God, I was nevertheless the prisoner of my own violence and my own selfishness, in the image of the world into which I was born. That world was the picture of Hell, full of men like myself, loving God, and yet hating him; born to love him, living instead in fear of hopeless self-contradictory hungers". Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.

From this perspective of dialogue, I would like to recognize the efforts made in recent months to help overcome historic differences linked to painful episodes of the past. It is my duty to build bridges and to help all men and women, in any way possible, to do the same. When countries which have been at odds resume the path of dialogue — a dialogue which may have been interrupted for the most legitimate of reasons — new opportunities open up for all. This has required, and requires, courage and daring, which is not the same as irresponsibility. A good political leader is one who, with the interests of all in mind, seizes the moment in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. A good political leader always opts to initiate processes rather than possessing spaces.

Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world. Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.

Three sons and a daughter of this land, four individuals and four dreams: Lincoln, liberty; Martin Luther King, liberty in plurality and non-exclusion; Dorothy Day, social justice and the rights of persons; and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to God.

Four representatives of the American people.

I will end my visit to your country in Philadelphia, where I will take part in the World Meeting of Families. It is my wish that throughout my visit the family should be a recurrent theme. How essential the family has been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of our support and encouragement! Yet I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.

In particular, I would like to call attention to those family members who are the most vulnerable, the young. For many of them, a future filled with countless possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair. Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We need to face them together, to talk about them and to seek effective solutions rather than getting bogged down in discussions. At the risk of oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for the future. Yet this same culture presents others with so many options that they too are dissuaded from starting a family.

A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters a culture which enables people to "dream" of full rights for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.

In these remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural heritage, of the spirit of the American people. It is my desire that this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream.

God bless America!


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/pope-francis-speech-to-congress-transcript-text-video-214016#ixzz3mfmU1r72

Iran and the USA

The people of Iran have known this since the fifties...

In August 2013 the CIA admitted that it was involved in both the planning and the execution of the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, including the bribing of Iranian politicians, security and army high-ranking officials, as well as pro-coup propaganda. The CIA is quoted acknowledging the coup was carried out "under CIA direction" and "as an act of U.S. foreign policy, conceived and approved at the highest levels of government." (See Operation Ajax.) 

The United States of America overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran to counter his nationalization of the oil industry. The developing democracy of Iran was halted, Iran's greatest resource was exploited by foreign oil companies (USA and BP) for more than 25 years and in 1979 the revolution against the (USA's) Shah of Iran created the Islamic state it is now.

But wait, there's more...

In 2005 it was reported that President George W. Bush authorized the CIA to undertake black operations against Iran in an effort to destabilize the Iranian government. Unnamed administration officials were reported as saying the State Department was also studying dozens of proposals for spending $3 million in the coming year "for the benefit of Iranians living inside Iran" including broadcast activities, Internet programs and "working with people inside Iran" on advancing political activities there.

In 2006, the United States congress passed the Iran Freedom and Support Act, which directed $10 million towards pro-democracy groups opposed to the Iranian government. In 2007, President Bush authorized a $400 million covert operation to create unrest among the Iranian government that was "designed to pressure Iran to stop its nuclear enrichment program and end aid to insurgents in Iraq". The CIA has also provided support to a militant Sunni organization called Jundullah, which has launched raids into Iran from its base in Pakistan to possibly sabotage Iran's nuclear components.
This is all common knowledge to Iranians and the world.

Faith

"Because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead—being my brothers' and sisters' keeper, treating others as they would treat me. I think also understanding that Jesus Christ dying for my sins spoke to the humility we all have to have as human beings, that we're sinful and we're flawed and we make mistakes, and that we achieve salvation through the grace of God. But what we can do, as flawed as we are, is still see God in other people and do our best to help them find their own grace. That's what I strive to do. That's what I pray to do every day. I think my public service is part of that effort to express my Christian faith.

One thing I want to emphasize, having spoken about something that obviously relates to me very personally, as president of the United States I'm also somebody who deeply believes that part of the bedrock strength of this country is that it embraces people of many faiths and no faith," he said. "That this is a country that is still predominantly Christian, but we have Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, and that their own path to grace is one that we have to revere and respect as much as our own.

"That's part of what makes this country what it is."

—  President Barack Obama, September 27, 2010

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/28/obama-christian-by-choice_n_742124.html

Red Forks With Two Wheels

 My bike suffered a complete steering system failure enroute from the grocery store to home.

The mounting bar for the handlebars that connects the steering to the frame at the hub rusted completely through and I found myself bending it as I tried to climb a hill.

I stopped and walked the bike up the hill to flat ground that didn't require as much stress on the bars as hill climbing and pedaled home.

I spent several days trying to remove the handlebar stem from the hub of the forks. I finally had to cut it but still could not remove it from the forks. I removed the forks.

My old red bike was down to the frame since I've been scavenging parts from it but still had forks. It required spacers and washers to get to the right length but now the forks are mounted on my Chromium Cruiser.

The handlebar stem was finally free from the chrome forks and now are back on
the Chromium Cruiser.

My stuff 1962

 

Carbide Cannon

 

Hobie Sidewalk Surfer

 

Compressed air provided jet thrust.

1/32 scale slot racing.

 

Schwinn 26" (Tiger?)

Space travel

The dream of spaceflight for humans is exactly that: a dream. Consider Voyager I - after nearly 40 years of traveling over 37,000 mph it is just reaching the edge of the solar system. The Enterprise can do that in a few minutes.

New Horizons: Today the spacecraft finally reached Pluto, its main mission. It was launched in 2006 and sped directly to the dwarf planet. Other solar system spacecraft have used "gravity-assist" methods to reach speeds and trajectories to accomplish their missions. New Horizons used a gravity assist from Jupiter to place in its path to Pluto and speed it up. It still took 9 years to get there. Voyager I and II used Jupiter for assist and Voyager II used the gravity of Jupiter to change course towards Saturn then Saturn's gravity to pass Uranus then that planet's gravity to change course again to Neptune. Today's visit to Pluto marks discovery missions to all nine planets (in 1977 Pluto was still classified as a planet).

NASA's software "NASA's Eyes" is a great way to see where the current spacecraft of discovery are today in real time. Each time the program is started it downloads positions of all the planets and updates graphics to display them. http://eyes.nasa.gov/

Resurrecting a 2004 HP Pavilion

HP Pavilion a744x 

made in November 2004 for Windows XP Home Edition. 

Pentium 4 515 2.93 GHz CPU
upgraded to Pentium 4 550 3.4 GHz

Memory Installed 512 MB (2 x 256)
 upgraded to 4GB (4 x 1GB)

Video Integrated, no AGP slot, no PCIe
upgraded to PCI GeForce 8400 GS

Replaced Windows XP Home Edition
with Ubuntu 14.04LTS

PNY nVidia GeForce 8400 GS 512MB PCI graphics card

After many changes in configuration and installation of nVidia's own Linux drivers I finally abandoned the use of this expansion card. Possibly because of the PCI format instead of AGP or PCIe configurations each attempt to install the card resulted in a blank screen on bootup. Eventually I installed Ubuntu 15.04 to see if the newest version of the operating system might work. It did not. I removed the graphics card and configured the system to use the Intel® i915G Integrated Graphics and keep the Ubuntu 15.04 installation.

The CPU I ordered from eBay was supposed to be a Pentium 4 3.4GHz but when it arrived it was stamped with two identifying marks. The 1st showed the 3.4GHz information but the 2nd mark, stamped sideways, identified the chip as 3.2GHz. Software in the computer BIOS confirmed the lower speed. I emailed the seller and told them of the discrepancy as the item not being as listed (I also told them I'll still keep it) and they refunded 100% of the money I paid. This CPU ran hot and I finally re-installed the original 2.93GHz Pentium.

Internet connectivity is accomplished via a TRENDnet 54Mbps Wireless G USB 2.0 Adapter TEW-424UB. When I first used it on a Windows XP Professional machine it would only work after the drivers were installed. Today when I plug it in to Ubuntu computers the system automatically installs generic drivers and utilizes the adapter on boot.

The system is now Ubuntu 14.04LTS stable and reliable.

ACER
Another rescue is a 2003 Acer Pentium4 2.6GHz  

AcerPower SV

Processor    Intel® Pentium®4 processor 2.59GHz

Memory        (2) 1GB PC3200 DDR RAM

Video        NVIDIA G8 (512MB GeForce 8400GS PCI)

Audio        Intel® ICH4 Controller, Integrated  AC´97 Audio Codec

Storage        3.5" 1.44MB floppy drive
        52X maximum variable-speed CD-RW
        40GB and 80GB Hard Disk Drives

Power Supply    200W power supply (110/220V switchable

Wireless    Linksys WMP110 PCI

Operating System

        Ubuntu 15.10 Wiley Werewolf
        Linux 4.2.0-14-generic (i686)

States With Medical Marijuana Laws Have Fewer Opioid Overdose Deaths

This was reported back in August 2014:

TIME: Aug. 25, 2014 by Alexandra Sifferlin @acsifferlin

Opioids for chronic pain, like OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin, are meant to suppress pain. Recent data shows that not only are prescriptions for these drugs up, but rates of overdose and death are increasing as well. New research published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine shows that states with medical marijuana laws have rates of anticipated opioid-related deaths 25% lower than states that don’t allow it.

Read the full story:

 http://time.com/3175582/states-with-medical-marijuana-laws-have-fewer-opioid-overdose-deaths/

Time to retire the battle flag

Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia

This flag represents something that many consider racist and bigoted. Our rights to free speech permit us to display it and use it privately or to publicly display it. It is time to remove it from any federal or state institution.

Battle Flag of the Army of Tennessee

The Confederate flag displayed today was never an official flag of the Confederate States of America. It is a war flag. A battle flag. It was proposed to the Confederate Congress in 1860 but rejected. The design was incorporated into the official flag in 1863 as a corner graphic on a plain white field. In 1865 a large red bar was added to this design and was the official flag of the Confederacy when Lee surrendered to Grant. 

Although I grew up in Richmond, Virginia, I was not familiar with the official flag. I believed the battle flag of the Army of Tennessee was the official Confederate flag. The Ku Klux Klan used it and made it popular. The TV show Dukes of Hazzard car General Lee displayed it proudly. It was used on bumper stickers, mugs, shirts, decals and thousands of Bric-à-brac and it still is. But it never was THE Confederate flag.

What was the Civil War about? Very rich guys and cotton. The South was getting extremely rich exporting cotton to Europe. In the United States, Southern cotton provided capital for the continuing development of the North. Much of the Southern cotton was trans-shipped through northern ports and federal taxes went to northern states. Abraham Lincoln promised to end slavery. The South hated that.

Was it about slavery? You bet it was. Cotton plantations required vast labor forces to hand-pick cotton. Imagine the cost of suddenly having to PAY them. It represented so much money that rich southern politicians convinced people to die over it. Cotton was worth so much money that even after the end of the Civil War across the South, sharecropping evolved, in which free black farmers and landless white farmers worked on white-owned cotton plantations of the wealthy in return for a share of the profits and they all got rich. Money continued to flow to the north. It was all about money.

On March 21. 1861, a speech by Alexander H. Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate Sates of America, exposed another reason for the war. It is called the “Corner Stone” Speech.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornerstone_Speech

http://web.archive.org/web/20130822142313/http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/cornerstone-speech/"Our new government is founded upon, its corner- stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. They (the North) were attempting to make things equal which the Creator had made unequal."

Thus, the Confederate Flag as we know it is a WAR flag and the Civil War was fought over slavery and money. Only after 1865 was the reason for the war claimed to have been based on State's Rights.

The rich continue to try and control the government. Doug Hughes, now known as "the man who flew a gyrocopter to the Capitol" risked his life to bring attention to this current problem. A simple patriot and concerned about our country he performed a non-violent act of civil disobedience for election reform. He wants to get money out of politics. Now he is charged with serious crimes and will probably spend time in prison. 

To me, he is a hero.

Doug Hughes, "the man who flew a gyrocopter to the Capitol"

SineCycles

Drivetrain: 2013 Zero Motorcycles Motor: 3-phase high efficient permanent magnet  Max. Torque: 57 Nm Max. Power: 27 PS (20 kW) @ 4000 U/min Max. Capacity: 2.8 kWh Voltage: 102 V Range: 55 km (34 miles) Max. Speed: 120 km/h (75 mph) Transmission: Clutchless direct drive Battery Housing: Bruno Forcella
Heat Sink Motor Controller: Bruno Forcella
Connectivity: Smartphone app with detailed information about the motorcycle such as the time until charged, average watts per mile, total charge cycles and much more. Customizable riding modes performance profile.  Synced using Bluetooth.
https://www.facebook.com/sinecycles

Compare to the Harley Davidson Electric introduced in 2014:

The Harley looks asian in design.

The SineCycle looks more like American chopper...

 

http://sinecycles.com/

 

 

 

Fishing in Florida

Sheepshead.

I have caught my share of Sheepshead. Their teeth are freaky. They look human...

Now I can fish for FREE. 

Residents 65 years of age or older do not require a state license to fish. 

Freshwater or saltwater I get to fish all I want. 

http://myfwc.com/license/recreational/do-i-need-a-license/

 

http://myfwc.com/license/

USA #1 Single Song

March 21, 1950 - this was the Billboard top SELLING single. It remained on the top for four weeks until April 15.   It was NOT played most often on radio, in fact it wasn't played much on radio. It was, during the week of April 8, the most played on jukeboxes.

Why didn't radio exploit the trend?

What are jukeboxes? See here.

June 1968 - When I was graduating from high school this was the number one song for the period June 1 to 15.  

Ancestry

Personal Transportation

In Austrailia, Rob, Production Manager at Haltech Engine Management Systems, imported a 1983 GMC Van. He meticulously copied the A-Team van with the exception of the engine. He replaced it with a new GM fuel-injected LS2 V-8 (very highly efficient).

Bicycle RESCUE

Schwinn Trailway Hybrid 

SERIAL NUMBER: SNXDS11F20932

Free from a neighbor.

 

Murray 26" 

(under construction)

5-5063X92-120594

made in Lawrenceburg Tenn.

2004 Fuji Dynamic 26"
IF2J0400

The Fuji Dynamic is a  TIG-welded Altair 1 aluminum frame at just over 30 pounds. It was released in 2004 and starts at $500 brand new (given to me by a neighbor). This is the tallest bike I've ever ridden. In fact, the standover height was too high for me an i gave it to my son.



Kent Dual-Drive Tandem 26"
L030516388
(pawned)

Boulder Giant 26" 

C88B6739

Kent 20" girl's Rock On 

GS090724740

MGA Bratz 20"

UV05108493

201C5CS

 

original

Roadmaster Granite Peak 26"

SNFSD12K64118 

Huffy Cranbrook 26"

KK04B27386

(STOLEN)

26" Chrome (unknown mfg.)

95TD948145

Mongoose 26"
SNESD07MC508

(scrapped for parts)

Red Huffy 26" Bike
K6609 90159 12E80C

(scrapped for parts)

Miami Sun Adult Trike w/sun canopy
6112309220

Today Sunday January 1, 2017 (my wife's birthday) a bicycle store owner stood with me on the Pinellas Trail while he called local law enforcement. He insisted I stole the trike in front of his shop ten days ago. When we retrieved documentation of the ownership of the tricycle we did not find absolute proof but were able to dismiss connections to the cycle stolen from his inventory.