New Report: A Bad Milestone - Greenhouse Gas Level’s Increase

                                      Good Day World!

There are good milestones, and there’s bad ones.

The day you marry someone is a good milestone. Something to be remembered for the duration of a partnership.

Heightened greenhouse gas levels are a bad milestone. Each time the levels increase, our planet’s health decreases.

The latest milestone no one wants to celebrate is the monthly global average concentration of carbon dioxide breaking 400 parts per million for the first time since record-keeping of greenhouse gas levels began.

The milestone, reached last month, was announced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently.

"It was only a matter of time that we would average 400 parts per million globally," said NOAA scientist Pieter Tans in a press release. "We first reported 400 ppm when all of our Arctic sites reached that value in the spring of 2012. In 2013 the record at NOAA's Mauna Loa Observatory first crossed the 400 ppm threshold. Reaching 400 parts per million as a global average is a significant milestone."

Crossing the 400 ppm threshold is equal parts disheartening and alarming. Less than a decade ago scientists and environmental activists, including Bill McKibben, launched a campaign to convince policy makers that global CO2 concentrations needed to be reduced to 350 ppm in order to avoid massive impacts from global warming.

Mother Jones published this article recently (May 6th) about global warming and the impact this new milestone will have.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

I Don’t Get It: Why is Everyone Interested in Going to Mars?

When I watched the first man walk on the moon, the first question that came to my mind was, “Why?”

The years have sped by, and I’m still asking why, but in reference to Mars now.

What’s there that’s so valuable? I still haven’t read about a good reason for going to the moon yet.

Moon rocks are cool, but hardly worth billions of dollars in getting them. Moon walking hasn’t resulted in anything benefiting mankind (unless you count Michael Jackson’s cool dance step – the moonwalk).

So now it’s off to Mars, and more glory? 

Enter the Dutch-based Mars One venture. The idea behind Mars One is to jump-start Red Planet settlement, and fund the endeavor with billions of dollars' worth of sponsorships and media deals.

A colony on Mars? SpaceX's billionaire founder, Elon Musk, is due to unveil his own long-term plan for Mars odysseys by the end of this year.

Last week's meeting of the NASA Advisory Council, space agency officials provided the outline of their "Evolvable Mars Campaign," a long-term effort to develop the technologies needed for human missions to Mars.

Colonies. Numerous missions. So what?

I don’t see any benefit to planet hopping and forming colonies on inhospitable planets. If we end up polluting the earth so badly it becomes inhabitable, we don’t deserve another opportunity – even a less than desirable one.

Some advisers are even talking about grabbing a rock from one of Mars' moons, Phobos or Deimos, and bringing it back for study. Let me ask you, what have we done with moon rocks thus far?

Collecting rocks from planets is not my idea of advancing the human race.

Instead of settling for planets that aren’t human friendly, perhaps more emphasis should be directed towards other universes and planets that might be compatible with human life.

I know. Silly me.

Even if we don’t find one, it’s still a better idea than collecting samples from uninhabitable planets that appear to offer little, or no, advantages to exploring them and especially living on them!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

 

There May Be Only 4 Banks in the Entire Country Someday

Good Day World!

Imagine this; there’s only four banks in America.

Community banks no longer exist. There’s no credit unions to join. Just four incredibly powerful banks. 

Does that sound crazy? Maybe not.

(Photo: Rainforest Action Network / John Duffy)

Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo - have come to dominate the entire banking sector, each growing larger than all of the nation's community banks put together.

Here’s a 90-second video that describes the alarming growth of these four mega-banks; giant banks with more than $100 billion in assets (in 2010 dollars).

How has this happened so quickly? What has caused this disturbing trend?

Some scholars and bankers are giving the blame to the added costs of complying with the Dodd-Frank banking reform law, which created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and imposed new rules on banks' behavior. 

A more comprehensive and nuanced answer to the question of why community banks are vanishing in such numbers has been put forward by Arthur E. Wilmarth, a law professor at George Washington University.

In a lengthy paper, Wilmarth provides a damning look at the regulatory disadvantages faced by community banks, but without feeding the deregulation agenda of their big competitors.

For a complete understanding of the whole situation read this article, produced by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, as part of its Community-Scaled Economy Initiative.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Have You Ever Asked Yourself Why You’re Here?

Good Day World!

Why am I here?

It’s a question I’ve asked myself numerous times.

The answer unfolds with the passing of years. Experience has helped me expose my inner desires. Hard work and the ability to focus on learning - and sharing - has given meaning to my life.

Oscar Wilde once said,

“The aim of life is self-development, to realize one's nature perfectly.”

The writer of the following quote is unknown, but the message is clear,

You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.

I think Walter Hagen is on to something with this quote,

You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.

Need some help seeking your purpose in life?

Here’s a soul filled and inspiration approach to exploring why you are here and what you are meant to do with your life.

Soul Lessons and Soul Purpose: A Channeled Guide to Why You Are Here

Here’s a guided journal that will help you start exploring why you are here, and how to use those ideas to transform your life…

My Organic Soul: From Plato to Creflo, Emerson to MLK, Jesus to Jay-Z--A Journal to Help You Discover Yourself through Words of Wisdom from Visionaries Past and Present

My takeaway on life is there’s more than one reason why we’re here!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

About Politicians Who Rip Us Off

Good Day World!

I’m one of those people who believe Democrats and Republicans – for the most part – are corrupt.

After a 20 years career as a newspaper editor and publisher, I’ve written and ran hundreds of stories about corrupt politicians.

Despite all of these stories, and thousands more, nothing ever seems to change. It makes me wonder if it’s the voters fault for picking such sleazy representatives.

TWO LATEST EXAMPLES:

New York State Senate leader Dean Skelos and his son were recently arrested on federal corruption charges, about three months after NBC 4 New York first reported on the investigation into state government’s most powerful Republican.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, lined his pockets with nearly $4 million in bribes and kickbacks in a stunning abuse of power dating to at least 2000, federal authorities charged last week.

Every time one of these douches get caught the rest of the pols all scramble about and start spewing platitudes like “We are deadly serious about taking down corrupt officials.”

So what can be done about scum bags who work the system?

Nothing.

Corrupt pols go back to ancient civilizations. They’ve always infected governments like parasites, sucking out the people’s money and rights.

The only thing we can hope for is that one gets caught, and convicted, now and then.

I still think part of the problem lies with voters being uninformed, or slavishly following party brands despite their sleaze factor.

In addition, our high tech world of social media and the mainstream media lures voters with partisan sound bytes (because they don’t have the time to research anything).

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Will Residents Have To Re-Name Ferguson, ‘Webville?’

Good Day World!

Talk about smash and grab burglaries.

The citizens of Ferguson, Missouri are paying someone to loot their state treasury!

Brian Fletcher, a Ferguson council member elected in April, said the city faces a $2 million to $3 million budget deficit for the fiscal year ending June 30, and will likely face a similar deficit next year.

But that didn’t stop them from hiring a lawyer who is charging double Missouri's highest attorney billing rate last year.

Dan K. Webb (photo above) is getting $1,335 an hour to help the St. Louis suburb negotiate and possibly litigate reforms pressed by the Justice Department since Michael Brown's shooting death by a police officer there last summer, according to a newspaper report.

Web is a legal thief taking advantage of a city in distress.

Ferguson's city manager, police chief and municipal judge have resigned. The municipal court clerk was fired for racist emails. And the current city council apparently lacks any fiscal sense because their $2 to $3 million budget deficit doesn’t even account for Web’s pay!

For the record, while Web will be busy getting richer, he’s not the only one. That tab doesn't include the expenses and fees of any lawyers or paralegals in Webb's firm who may work on the case.

See what I mean? Stupid.

The city council is eventually going to find themselves sued over lack of payment to Mr. Web. Then what? Ferguson gets re-named Webville?

Time for me to walk on down the road….

Tom Brady is a cheat and a liar - but who really cares?

A few thoughts on cheating champions today.

Despite being caught for cheating, the New England Patriots will not have their AFC Conference Championship win nullified.

The win that set them up for the Super Bowl.

Ted Wells' investigation into the possibility that the New England Patriots were involved in deflating footballs for the AFC championship game has found that it's more likely than not some of the Patriots were guilty.

"Based on the evidence developed in connection with the investigation and summarized in this Report, we have concluded that it is more probable than not that New England Patriots personnel participated in violations of the NFL Playing Rules and were involved in a deliberate attempt to circumvent those rules," the report, released Wednesday, said.

For years the Patriots have had a culture of cheating. It’s been the most open secret in the NFL.

Quarterback Tom Brady is not only a cheater, he’s a liar.

After news of the possibly deflated footballs broke in January, Brady had a news conference in which he denied any wrongdoing and said about the game balls, "I don’t want anyone rubbing them, putting any air in them, taking any air out."

Busted! Read the report here. The report said it is more probable than not that Brady was "at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of McNally and Jastremski."

Read: Report: NFL To Consider Disciplining Brady

Despite what penalty is handed out to Brady, he still got away with cheating. But that won’t bother Patriot fans whose memory over this little Deflate Gate blip will be short and sweet.

In today’s society, cheating is accepted, quickly forgiven, and sometimes admired. It’s all about winning at any cost…including integrity, and honesty.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Idealogy over Humanity: GOP Presidential Candidates Turn Clock Back on Science

Good Day World!

At one time the earth was considered flat, and to deny that absurdity meant imprisonment, or worse.

Here we are in the 21st century with presidential candidates who apparently can’t make up their minds about basics of modern science –

(Photo - Ben Carson)

that the Earth is about 4.5 billion years old, that humans evolved from earlier primates over millions of years, and that people are making the world dangerously warm. 

Somehow, in the twisted minds of some GOP presidential hopefuls, science is bogus. Instead of rational enlightenment, these wannabes pass off religious myths that are really more about values than reality.

Outdated values to be sure, that don’t reflect facts. And each one thinks he/she should lead the free world.

Wow.  

EXAMPLES:

You have a neurosurgeon who believes the human brain is too complex for anyone but God, an ophthalmologist who refuses to talk about the age of the Earth, and a Harvard-trained lawyer beloved by creationists.

Each one raises the prospect of an election without science. A leader who rejects known facts about the world we live in.

Retired doctor Ben Carson joined senators Rand Paul (the ophthalmologist) and Ted Cruz (the Harvard alum) on the campaign trail recently, vying for the Republican nomination against each other and other confirmed and likely candidates including Senator Marco Rubio, former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Wisconsin governor Scott Walker.

How do these candidates get away with denying science?

The answer, I fear, is simply partisanship. If the brand stands for myths as opposed to facts, the candidates become slavish followers to get money from the national party.

Perhaps even more scary, they are the people who put ideology above humanity.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

At What Point Does Free Speech Become Hate Speech?

Good Day World!

Hate groups grow like weeds in our society. And like weeds, they need to be rooted out in every generation.

Hate for Muslims in America reached an all-time high after the 9-11 attacks, and little has changed since then.

(Photo-Pamela Geller)

Muslims are not all extremists, but many people toss them into the same trash heap as the terrorists who are spreading a perverted version of Islam. These terrorists are often “lone wolves.”

However, their not all loners looking to become martyrs. Organized terror is now a problem throughout the planet. Radical groups like ISIS and Al-Qadea have grown in recent years.

Amid that backdrop, why would anyone do something to purposely piss off Muslims in America?

The answer is simple; America has it’s hate groups and one of the leading one’s against Islam is the American Freedom Defense Initiative.

The group hosted a "Draw Muhammad” contest in Texas that ended with police killing two armed gunman. Pamela Geller, executive director of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, told NBC News that "we should be holding these meetings every month."

In Geller’s world, every opportunity to create chaos in our society is eagerly taken. Hate begets hate.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has listed the group as an anti-Muslim hate group since 2010.

"We absolutely must have other events like this to stand up for free speech...," Geller said. "I will not abridge my freedoms so as not to offend savages."

Among the problems Geller cited was that the daily Muslim prayers curse Christians and Jews in Arabic.

That’s an outright lie according to Zead Ramadan, the chair of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who called Geller's assertion "absolutely asinine."

He said the daily prayer, the Salat, calls for God to "bring peace upon and bless the children of Abraham," which, according to Biblical tradition, includes Christians and Jews.

But truth doesn’t matter when someone is blinded by hate and bigotry.

"She likes to cause chaos and hatred and have people die," Ramadan said. "She's hiding behind the skirts of our liberties.

"She lies and then says, 'I have the right to lie'"

We must ask ourselves, at what point does free speech become hate speech?

• 'Draw Muhammad' Shooting in Garland: What We Know About Texas Attack
• Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi Named as Gunmen in Texas Attack

Time for me to walk on down the road…

What’s Right, and Wrong, in a Black and Blue Society?

                                 Good Day World!

It’s a black and blue world.

On one hand, there’s been a series of cases where white police officers have shot and killed black men. On the other, there’s been a series of cases where black men have shot and killed police officers.

In the most recent case a NYPD officer who was shot in the head while sitting in an unmarked patrol car in Queens over the weekend, died on Monday.

In the Baltimore case where Freddie Gray – a black man – was killed while in police custody, there’s been six officers arrested and charged with contributing to his death while he was being transported in a police vehicle.

Three of the six officers involved were black.

I could go back and forth – tit for tat – in both cases, but that would get me nowhere. The next option; I’ll ask you a few questions regarding blue and black relations.

I need some input here.

ON COPS

1) Would you be a cop in today’s society?

2) Do we even need cops?

3) Because of the recent racial protests – if you were a cop – would you hesitate to shoot a black man committing a crime?

4) Are MOST cops racist?

5) If you saw a cop being attacked would you help him/her?

ON BLACKS

1) Should young black men be afraid of the law?

2) Are black men who commit a crime treated the same as white men?

3) Should Blacks protest nationally every time a black man is shot by the cops? 

4) Why are there more blacks in prison than whites?

5) Is it understandable when blacks loot businesses during racial protests?

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

GOP Presidential Hopefuls: ‘You’re not running against Obama’ and something else you should know

                               Hello GOP hopefuls!

If one of you hope to win your party’s nomination, there’s two things you need to know.

First; stay focused and try to remember that you’re not running against Barak Obama in 2016. Your opponent has yet to be chosen.  

I realize that it was a chance to throw out “raw meat” during the recent South Carolina Republican convention when five presidential hopefuls outdid one another in attacking Obama.

The rhetoric — similar to what other potential GOP nominees are saying in early voting states — plays well at GOP venues where Obama is a reviled figure: the audience whooped, hollers and occasionally shouted "Amen" in response to the candidates.

Just remember, the Obama punching bag will eventually give way to real issues (hopefully), which leads us to the…

Second subject: at some point in your campaigns you’re going to have to actually spell out what you stand for, and what you can offer the American public …details…details…details

Most people are feed up with your rhetoric - based upon elitist ideology - and your obvious ties to corporations and king makers like the Koch brothers.

I don’t care who the Democrats put up, they’ll clobber you unless you convince Americans that your not full of hot air, or a corporation puppet, and that you really do have detailed plans to address the many challenges a president faces.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

  

Religion in the News: Bible becomes state book, Pope can admit mistakes, and more

Good Day World!

This Sunday I thought it would be interesting to take a look at news events that have to do with religion:

* Pope Francis admitted that even he can be fallible while apologizing to a group of 7,000 Cursillos in Christianity for rescheduling their meeting. (Video)

* A handful of change and a short note left in a Charlotte church's collection plate has parishioners talking. (Video)

* Citing Religious Beliefs, Muslim Gitmo Inmates Object To Female Guards (listen to, or read article here)

* How Rachel Held Evans became the most polarizing woman in evangelicalism (read article here).

* Christians who use the language of Jesus being uprooted by Islamic State ( read article here)

* Tennessee House votes Bible as official state book (read article here)

 

Baby Boomer: ‘I’m not going gently into that good night’

Good Day World!

I’m here to tell you that baby boomers are not going gently into the good night (line from Dylan Thomas poem)  just because we’re in our sixties.

Have you heard the phrase “Sixty is the new forty” yet?

Why is it that when people reach a certain age, they're considered "over the hill?”

That's not so, according to new research, which is helping re-define how we look at aging.

Increasingly, people over 60 feel more like 40, and now they have the science to back them up.

"Your chronologic age - that is, the number of birthdays you have - isn't your biologic or what we call real age," said Dr. Michael Roizen, chief medical wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic.

The new research argues that since life expectancy continues to rise, age 60 should not be considered old.

It's more "middle age," because for many, there's a lot of living left to do after age 60, even embarking on second or third careers.

One example in fashion trends:

While many people try to hide their gray hair, spending hours eradicating the signs of advancing age, going gray may no longer mean reaching out for the dye bottle as "granny hair" is in vogue.

How about that? If the younger members of our society really want to be “cool” then they have to copy baby boomers – in action and fashion!

You know…growing old is really a matter of the mind. Not the body.

As Dylan so succinctly put it, "Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Presidential Hopeful Bernie Sanders draws ‘line in the sand’ between him and Clinton

                                           Good Day World!

Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to be the next president of the United States.

On Thursday he declared "we're in this race to win" and highlighted key areas he'll seek to differentiate himself from Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary.

If you’re like me, you don’t know a lot about this feisty politician.

Here’s Sander’s voting record.

Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist, and has praised Scandinavian-style social democracy.

Sanders runs for office as an independent but caucuses with the Democratic Party and is counted as a Democrat for purposes of committee assignments.

He was the only independent member of the House during most of his service and is the longest-serving independent in U.S. Congressional history. Since January 2015, Sanders has been the Ranking Democratic Member on the Senate Budget Committee.

Sanders is a vocal advocate about the ramifications of global warming.

In a speech on the Senate floor on July 26, 2012, Sanders addressed claims made by fellow Senator Jim Inhofe: "The bottom line is when Senator Inhofe says global warming is a hoax, he is just dead wrong, according to the vast majority of climate scientists.”

Sanders supports the DISCLOSE Act, which would make campaign finances more transparent and ban U.S. corporations controlled by foreign interests from making political expenditures.

Sanders has been a leader in calling for media reform and opposes increased concentration of ownership of media outlets, as well as being a contributing author for OpEdNews.

He appeared in Orwell Rolls in His Grave and Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism, two documentaries on the subject.

The only question now; “Is Bernie Sanders too far to the Left to attract a majority of voters?”

MORE On SANDERS

The Bernie Sanders record: A progressive social media star and pragmatic legislator

An unconventional campaign launch for an unconventional candidate: Sanders 2016

Bernie Sanders: Obama sounds like Bush and Clinton on trade

Bernie Sanders through the years

Time for me to walk on down the road…

A Veteran’s Picks for Music About the Vietnam War

Good Day World!

As my regular readers know, I’m a Vietnam/Cambodian veteran (1970). Lately, I’ve been looking to music to portray parts of my life experiences.

I’ve selected the following 15 Vietnam-related songs to share my story as a Vietnam veteran. It wasn’t easy keeping the list to just 15.

I could have done more, but the ones I selected should do the job. I hope you enjoy them.

Here’s my story put to words,music, and videos.

Country Joe & the Fish – Vietnam Song asks the question, “what are we fighting for?”

Canned Heat – Going Up the Country live Woodstock 1969 “I’m going to leave the city… and get far away!” This song was tied into the hippie movement, but was also an anthem for Vietnam veterans. Don’t watch/listen to this video if you’re offended by nudity. This video has uncensored pics from Woodstock.

The Rolling Stones - Paint it Black this video/song has special meaning to me.

This song was blaring on a boom box as I rode in a Huey on my way to Cambodia.

I was part of an operation that resulted in angering many Americans who thought the war was being extended into Cambodia. It wasn’t a declaration of war on Cambodia – we were just chasing the NVA across the border where they had set up headquarters.

 

The Doors - Unknown Soldier video shows Vietnam clips from 1968. The Doors are one of my favorite groups. “Make a grave for the unknown soldier…”

 

Creedance Clearwater Revival - Run Through The Jungle – video shows clips from Casper Aviation Platoon that served in the 173d Airborne Brigade during the Vietnam War from 1965 –1971.

Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth - video shows the band (circa 1967), and clips from the Sunset Strip Teen Riots in November of 1966.

Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction – “Your old enough to kill, but not voting…” This video has some great photos representing the times.

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Fortunate Son – This is a well known Vietnam war protest song . Pictures in the video are Iraq/Vietnam war and protest pictures.

Kingston Trio - Where Have All the Flowers Gone? “When will they ever learn? Where have all the young men gone? They’re gone as soldiers…” Another really strong anti-war song that makes me nostalgic.

Black Sabbath – War Pigs – I was lucky and got to see Black Sabbath in concert at the Great Western forum in 1971 – shortly after getting out of the Army. They played this tune then. Also, Grand Funk Railroad rocked my night! What memories!

Mark Maysey - This is My Rifle – I love this one. Sure reminds me of boot camp at Ft. Ord, California where I repeated that chant in as loud a voice as I could muster: “This is my rifle – this one is my gun – one is for killing –the other for fun.” 

Edwin Starr – WAR – this 1970 Motown Time Capsule video shows clips from the times. “Soul Brothers” constituted more than half of the fighting forces in Vietnam.

John Schumann, Redgum - I WAS ONLY 19 - This song really spoke to me, I was 19 when I fought in Vietnam and Cambodia. The video portrays the Australian young men who fought in Vietnam along side of us. It also mentions Agent Orange, and talks about PTSD.

Mitch Townly – The Wall – this video tribute is for all my brothers who died in that nasty Vietnam War. Sometimes I remember my squad like yesterday…

Jason Billington – The Eagle Cried - Written and recorded by US Army Major J Billington. This song was written in honor of the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans, who did not receive the hero's welcome that they deserved when they came home from the fight. It was performed at the 13th Combat Aviation Battalion Reunion at Fort Rucker, Alabama, held on May 15, 2010.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

NRA Members Aren’t Always Aware That Their Cash Contributions Support Politicians

Good Day World!

The law makes a hard distinction between solicitations for elections and other solicitations, in part because many Americans don’t like donating to politicians.

An NRA member might contribute to the organization because he admires its work on behalf of hunters. He might also contribute to an environmental group because he wants to preserve forests.

But this same donor may vehemently oppose the candidates endorsed in federal elections by both the NRA and the environmental group. As a result, the law makes it clear that when these groups are soliciting for electoral purposes they must disclose that fact to potential donors.

The NRA has been ignoring that law for years by taking donations that were intended to support the group and using them for political agendas.

Federal law also says a PAC’s solicitation must “expressly state that the contribution will be used in connection with a Federal election” and that contributions are purely voluntary.

And it requires a soliciting PAC to collect information about donors, including profession or job affiliation. But the NRA impudently ignores those requirements.

NRA solicitations through its corporate and PVF websites have arguably violated all  state statutes. And because of the way the NRA has structured its PAC, any state attorney general with an interest in investigating these apparent violations would have authority to subpoena all relevant NRA records dealing with its nationwide fundraising operations.

That however seems unlikely, because few politicians have the balls to go after the most powerful special interest group in the country.

The complete story, reinforced with factual records, is told in this investigative Yahoo news story:

The NRA’s brazen shell game with donations by Alan Berlow for Yahoo News

Time for me to walk on down the road….

Observations on a World Gone Crazy

Good Day World!

Growing up in the 1950’s, I never heard of multiple gangs organizing to “hunt and kill” cops. Not to say there were no gangs back in those days. There were. Most notably, The Mafia.

But none of them went out of their way to target cops across the country. Perhaps they had more sense than today’s gangs.

While Baltimore burns, and looters overrun businesses in protest of the killing of an unarmed black man – Freddie Gray – the notorious Black Guerilla Family, Bloods, and Crips formed a partnership to "take out" law enforcement officers.

Welcome to a world gone crazy.

Shootings at schools have become all too commonplace in the 21st century. Stories of children murdered in classrooms and cafeterias across the country have become too common.

In some cases brave teachers stop armed students before they can kill someone. But school doesn’t seem like a safe place anymore.

Mass killers step into movie theaters with semi-automatic weapons, slaughtering audiences; a teenager and his brother plant bombs, causing death and mayhem, during the Boston Marathon; and U.S. counterterrorism officials are increasingly concerned that the Islamic State is growing in popularity in America.

Just three examples of how crazy the world is now.

Other things I never thought I’d see, climb out of social media, and the TV:

Teen murders 9 year-old during sleep over.

ISIS Wannabes: Inside the Minds of Jihadis Born in the USA.

It seems like the world is getting more violent, and crazy every year. As an observer for over six-decades, I have to say things aren’t getting better. We seem further away from world peace than ever.

America is sliding back into an era of racial unrest, and our politicians are so polarized they can’t agree if the sky is blue or green. No matter what advancements we’ve made in technology, our society is still coming apart at the seams.

Time for me to walk on down the road… 

 

 

No Compromise Politics in Congress is Screwing Americans

Good Day World!

I think it’s safe to say that most Americans are tired of a Congress that barely functions because of bipartisan polarization.

For example, remember Grover Norquist? He’s the clown that came up with The Pledge, which dates back to 1986.

Republicans looking for anti-tax support of any kind have slavishly signed The Pledge for years, promising to NEVER raise taxes.

This senseless affirmation of NO COMPROMISE when it comes to taxes was most recently signed by Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.

The only other Republican candidate in the race, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, has not yet signed the pledge. He did sign it when he was running for the senate in 2009.

Still undeclared presidential candidate Jeb Bush's spokesperson, Kristy Campbell, told ABC News in February, "If Governor Bush decides to move forward, he will not sign any pledges circulated by lobbying groups."

I have to extend kudos to Jeb for that move. While many Republicans sign it at both the state and federal level, Bush didn't sign it as governor of Florida either.

His father, George H.W. Bush, raised taxes after pledging during his campaign that he wouldn't. No surprise, he lost his re-election to Bill Clinton.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has also never signed it, but Americans for Tax Reform, Norquist's organization, says that Christie gave and kept a verbal commitment to follow it.

Governors Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal and Rick Perry have all signed and kept the pledge, according to Americans for Tax Reform.

It’s obvious, to anyone with common sense, that when a politician says their not going to compromise on some issues, it’s going to cause problems for everyone involved down the line.

A good politician understands the importance of a fair compromise in order to get things done. Look at our congressional history and you’ll see how compromise created important laws that benefited all Americans.

It can be done. But, not by signing pledges that destroy any chance of negotiating.

It’s time for me to walk on down the road…     

 

To My Surprise, My Father Once Worked For Lockheed’s Secretive Skunk Works

Good Day World!

I had an interesting conversation with my father recently, and discovered that he worked for the highly secret Skunk Works at Lockheed from 1953-56.

I knew he was a Journeyman Machinist who worked for Lockheed, Northrop Grumman (parts for the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger – photo left), and General Dynamics (where he retired).

It turns out that he worked on a lot of highly classified parts for all three of the companies that he worked for. For some reason, I was never quit aware that he did such specialty work.

(Editor’s Note:  The term Skunk Works became official in 1955. Up until then Lockheed called the research team’s department “Advanced Development Projects.”) 

He was a journeyman machinist. His job involved creating master dies for various parts of experimental aircraft.

A die is a specialized tool used in manufacturing industries to cut or shape material mostly using a press.

Like molds, dies are generally customized to the item they are used to create. Products made with dies range from simple paper clips to complex pieces used in advanced technology.

In 1955, the Skunk Works received a contract from the CIA to build a spy plane known as the U-2 with the intention of flying over the Soviet Union and photographing sites of strategic interest.

In the conversation with my father, he indicated that he created dies for several parts on the U-2 Spy Plane.

During the entirety of the Cold War, the Skunk Works was located in Burbank, California on the eastern side of Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport(34.200768°N 118.351826°W)

BRIEF ORIGIN

In 1943, the U.S. Army’s Air Tactical Service Command (ATSC) met with Lockheed Aircraft Corporation to express its dire need for a jet fighter to counter a rapidly growing German jet threat.

One month later, a young engineer by the name of Clarence "Kelly" L. Johnson and his team of young engineers hand delivered the XP-80 Shooting Star jet fighter proposal to the ATSC.

Quickly the go-ahead was given for Lockheed to start development on the United States' first jet fighter effort.

It was June of 1943 and this project marked the birth of what would become the Skunk Works® with Kelly Johnson at its helm.

The formal contract for the XP-80 did not arrive at Lockheed until October 16, 1943; four months after work had already begun. Kelly Johnson and his team designed and built the XP-80 in only 143 days, seven less than was required.

What allowed Kelly to operate the Skunk Works so effectively and efficiently was his unconventional organizational approach. He broke the rules, challenging the current bureaucratic system that stifled innovation and hindered progress.

His philosophy is spelled out in his "14 rules and practices."

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Hangover Cures From Cabbage To Coca Cola

Good Day World!

The need to be able to treat hangovers is steeped in history.

From cabbage to fried canary and milky Coca Cola, potion-mixers, scientists, and bartenders have long attempted to stave off the dread-ache of the hangover.

Today let’s look at how the ancient’s addressed the problem, and then the more modern cures for hangovers.

Ancient Cures

Cabbage seemed to be the biggest remedy during ancient times—it’s been documented in texts on classical Greeks and Romans as well ancient Egyptians.

Five hundred thousand papyrus texts from Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, dating back to the second century AD (1,900 years ago) were dug up by Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt from 1896 to 1907, and experts have been translating their contents ever since.

Just recently, one of the medical texts was found to contain a “drunken headache cure,” now more popularly known as a hangover cure. Are you ready for this ancient knowledge?

The text suggests that sufferers “wear leaves of Alexandrian chamaedaphne strung together.”

Alexandrian chamaedaphne is a shrub available online and more commonly known as “poet’s laurel,” should you want to actually give this a try.

By the late 1600s, chemists and herbalists had begun to concoct their own scientific mixtures for curing the hangover.

English physician Jonathan Goddard created his eponymous remedy Goddard’s Drops, which contained ingredients like ammonia, the skull of a person hanged, and dried viper.

The quickest way to cure a hangover—well, someone who had passed out from too much drinking—in the 19th century was shock therapy, according to The Medical Advisor, a semi-professional/semi-ridiculous health journal.

It suggested pouring vinegar down the victim’s throat and then rubbing it on their temples.

If that didn’t work, strip them naked and throw a bucket of cold water on them!

Modern Cures

The first aspirin tablets were made in 1915. Alka-Seltzer was introduced in 1931.

The Bloody Mary—a go-to tomato-based vodka drink perfect for the morning after—was introduced in 1934, mixing both the “hair of the dog” and plenty of anti-oxidants to rid you of your blues.

Adhesive patches like Bytox, which are applied before you drink, promise to flood your body with a slew of multi-vitamins and green tea extract, beginning with your first sip of booze.

Canned drinks like Mercy contain up 5,000 percent of the daily value of certain vitamins. They can be ingested sporadically or used as a mixer throughout the night (though a can of Sprite seems to be the latest trick).

New York’s I.V. Doc will make house calls, administering bags of liquid vitamins, glutathione and amino acids straight to your veins soon after waking up. In an hour you’re back in action.

There’s literally hundreds of more supposed cures. I don’t have the space for all of them here, but I’ve got some good links for you:

10 Hangover Remedies: What Works?

11 Ways To Ease A Nasty Hangover

Everything Science Knows About Hangovers—And How to Cure Them

Time for me to walk on down the road…