I really don't know when the governments switched from using rhetoric to use the system of bribery to get their ideas across to each other, but more importantly to the people in general.
There are 435 Representatives in the House and 36 new Senators. Their salaries should be less than the president, which is $200,000.00 a year which comes to $400,000.00 for two years, which is the term of office for a representative, who then tries to get re-elected. This is a total salary of $188,400,000.00. Then why would they spend over $4,000,000,000.00 on advertisements on radio and TV? Just to make so little money or to help all the people who elected them or is it the unannounced benefits that they receive from all those "benefactors" who contributed to their election.
This last advertising/shows were one of the dirtiest (meanest/underhanded/lying) things the campaign managers did, I believe, in the history of the pre-election campaigns. That a "mentally disturbed" person shot so many people was a direct result from all of these advertisements. I was always taught that if you couldn't say anything good about a person, you didn't say anything. You especially didn't lie in public about the other person. I am sure that the campaign managers will be called onto the carpet (told off) as to what is true and what is not.
Maybe it's just that the politics in the world have gotten to the point where the politicians no longer think that they are to be held accountable by their constituents (voters) as the only ones they have to worry about is the person who lines their pockets with "contributions" (?bribes?).
There are now a few countries in the world, Sudan, Tunisia and Egypt where the people are taking things into their own hands to change the way the people in charge are treating them. Isn't this one of the ideas behind the American Revolution in 1774 and the reason behind the Declaration of Independence?
I am not condoning or asking people to revolt against the government, but I am asking them to start requiring that those people who they elect start to listen and do the things that the "people" would like them to do. I know that in the 60's that a Senator from Colorado would send a survey out to all of his constituents as to what THEY thought about items that were coming up for a vote in the Senate. I have always thought that this is what ALL Congresspersons should do at least 4 times a year. And then publish what the majority thought and prove that they voted the way the majority wants.
Life has so many enigmas that it is hard to know them all. Enigmas: somebody or something that is not easily explained or understood like puzzles and riddles: Life, travel, people, places, animals and things. You can help me find some about Nature, History, Governments, People and your everyday life. As it is Christmas time read T'was the Night Before Christmas.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
To Build a Spacecraft
I believe that in order to build a spacecraft that would be able to travel to Mars and return, that it would have to be built in orbit around the earth. We do not have to propulsion system available yet, to propel everything that would be needed to get to the planet, like we did with the landings on the moon.
Mars is so far away that it would require a much larger system to include everything that the astronauts would need to get there. First just orbit mars. Launch the craft and personnel who would land on mars to explore an area to collect samples. Return to mars orbit and dock with the craft that has been orbiting and waiting for them. Then return to earth orbit where the could be met by a shuttle like craft to bring them back to earth with all the information and samples that they acquired on their trip.
One part of the space craft, maybe the most important part, may have been developed privately by a veteran astronaut, Franklin Chang Diaz. He has tied for the most amount of time spent in space and has always been interested in space travel. His dream is a Plasma powered craft that would travel up to 123,000 miles per hour or go from New York to Los Angeles in about 1 minute. To read more about Diaz and his engine go to http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/123000-mph-plasma-engine-could-finally-take-astronauts-mars and http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6543-magnetic-beams-could-power-swifter-spacecraft.html.
But that would only be one part and it might be too heavy by itself to be lifted into orbit, which would require construction in space along with the craft to carry the crew, the lander, the fuel, the food, water, extra air, etc. etc. Using the present systems of liquid rocket boosters would become too expensive and wasteful so a craft that could take off from earth and then either launch the booster to bring the parts to orbit and return, or more desirable would to have the craft launch like a regular aircraft and go by itself into orbit. This is why I say we need to look for newer means of propulsion, which I know the large engine manufacturers and the US Air Force are looking for. Have they found it yet? I don't know, but then I am not privy to all this hush-hush information. Someday they will announce it, but only when they need to, to get the craft doing what it needs to do that everyone should know about.
Mars is so far away that it would require a much larger system to include everything that the astronauts would need to get there. First just orbit mars. Launch the craft and personnel who would land on mars to explore an area to collect samples. Return to mars orbit and dock with the craft that has been orbiting and waiting for them. Then return to earth orbit where the could be met by a shuttle like craft to bring them back to earth with all the information and samples that they acquired on their trip.
One part of the space craft, maybe the most important part, may have been developed privately by a veteran astronaut, Franklin Chang Diaz. He has tied for the most amount of time spent in space and has always been interested in space travel. His dream is a Plasma powered craft that would travel up to 123,000 miles per hour or go from New York to Los Angeles in about 1 minute. To read more about Diaz and his engine go to http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/123000-mph-plasma-engine-could-finally-take-astronauts-mars and http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6543-magnetic-beams-could-power-swifter-spacecraft.html.
But that would only be one part and it might be too heavy by itself to be lifted into orbit, which would require construction in space along with the craft to carry the crew, the lander, the fuel, the food, water, extra air, etc. etc. Using the present systems of liquid rocket boosters would become too expensive and wasteful so a craft that could take off from earth and then either launch the booster to bring the parts to orbit and return, or more desirable would to have the craft launch like a regular aircraft and go by itself into orbit. This is why I say we need to look for newer means of propulsion, which I know the large engine manufacturers and the US Air Force are looking for. Have they found it yet? I don't know, but then I am not privy to all this hush-hush information. Someday they will announce it, but only when they need to, to get the craft doing what it needs to do that everyone should know about.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Energy of the Future III
To give you an idea as to where the energy is going, and faster then we can create new sources, China is building the equivalent of 2 New York Cities per year. That’s how many more people in just one year? Just about 17 million, and that's only 1 country. Just think of what's happening around the world. And we need to find and build more energy supplying sources. There will be an extra 1.3 billion (1,300,000,000) people requiring twice as much energy in the next 10 years. How are we going to do it?
Chinas people are becoming the new middle class of the world with the US becoming a 2nd rate or even a 3 rate country if we don't start doing something now to change the future.
Are the energy sources up to the job? Well, nuclear energy could supply 9%, maybe 15%, if we build new plants, but that would take a change in the attitude of the people in the different countries and then what would we do with the radioactive waste that every nuclear plant creates, every day?
We could build new dams which could supply up to 25% of the worlds energy needs, but we would have to dam every river in the world. Some of them would require multiple dams. Then where would all of the migratory fish and water life go? You can't build a dam and still allow all of the fish to go up and down the river. Only the salmon can use water ladders to return to their breeding grounds as it has always been their nature to go up water falls throughout history.
Wind would be a good idea and would give us up to 30% of our needs, but as you noticed, I said 'up to'. The bad part of this is that the wind has to be blowing all of the time on all of the windmills all of the time. You and I know that doesn't happen so windmills will help, but not really enough.
Solar cells right now only supply 0.1% but we would need over 4,000 times as many as we now have to really make a difference. But the good part is that it would supply us with power as long as the sun shines. Which means that over 50% of them will not be producing 50% of the time. They would also require millions and millions of hectares of land that people could not live or work on.
With the right mobilization you and I can do just about anything, but it also requires industries to create and change to new technologies. Renewable energy in not just a plant but also a business that we all need to be a part of. We could use existing factories and change the existing equipment to make new products for using or creating renewable energy.
You and I need to get together with all the rest of our friends, neighbors, countrymen and the rest of the people on earth to design/create new sources of energy
Chinas people are becoming the new middle class of the world with the US becoming a 2nd rate or even a 3 rate country if we don't start doing something now to change the future.
Are the energy sources up to the job? Well, nuclear energy could supply 9%, maybe 15%, if we build new plants, but that would take a change in the attitude of the people in the different countries and then what would we do with the radioactive waste that every nuclear plant creates, every day?
We could build new dams which could supply up to 25% of the worlds energy needs, but we would have to dam every river in the world. Some of them would require multiple dams. Then where would all of the migratory fish and water life go? You can't build a dam and still allow all of the fish to go up and down the river. Only the salmon can use water ladders to return to their breeding grounds as it has always been their nature to go up water falls throughout history.
Wind would be a good idea and would give us up to 30% of our needs, but as you noticed, I said 'up to'. The bad part of this is that the wind has to be blowing all of the time on all of the windmills all of the time. You and I know that doesn't happen so windmills will help, but not really enough.
Solar cells right now only supply 0.1% but we would need over 4,000 times as many as we now have to really make a difference. But the good part is that it would supply us with power as long as the sun shines. Which means that over 50% of them will not be producing 50% of the time. They would also require millions and millions of hectares of land that people could not live or work on.
With the right mobilization you and I can do just about anything, but it also requires industries to create and change to new technologies. Renewable energy in not just a plant but also a business that we all need to be a part of. We could use existing factories and change the existing equipment to make new products for using or creating renewable energy.
You and I need to get together with all the rest of our friends, neighbors, countrymen and the rest of the people on earth to design/create new sources of energy
Friday, January 21, 2011
Energy of the Future II
By the year 2050 the world will need more than 50% more energy to keep up with the growth of the consuming publics demand for the energy. Right now it takes 110,000 watts a day for each person in the US. In Europe they need 55,000 watts. And in Asia they consume 16,000 watts and Africans us only 8,000 watts.
Where does all this come from? Well it comes from fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas), water, sun, nuclear, and wind. As we all know, we are running out of fossil fuels and because of that all the prices have risen and will continue to rise until we find a more usable (reusable?) source. You and I have heard of the "new" engines for cars and other means of transportation that use other sources. But you probably don't know that they have had these engines for decades, but because the oil was so cheap, the manufacturers thought that retooling their assembly lines would cost too much and the consumer (you and I) would not purchase them as long as the price of gasoline was so low. Now that the prices of the fuel have risen so much, they have decided to bring them out of the development stage to the fabrication process.
But vehicles are only one of the consumers of these fossil fuels as I have stated before. You and I also use electricity for our cooking, ironing, washing, housecleaning, and just lighting our homes. Think about all of the consumption that is going on in all the offices and stores where we shop. Again, lighting, heating/cooling, advertisements, and of course the ever present computers, screens, and printers which we no longer can get along without. How many of you have more than one computer at home? At work? We see special stores selling them and all of the accessories that we "need" to have to make our work/gaming easier and faster. New larger homes need more energy just because of their size and the growth of the earths population and their connection to the "lines" require more and more energy.
If everyone on the planet used the same amount energy as the "average" US user, we would need 5.4 earths to supply the amount of force required to feed their requirements. This calls for all of us to use less and less and for someone to design more efficient equipment requiring less energy supplies. And there is the request for all of us to be more creative in how we re-use our supply and find ways to use less energy. More efficient light bulbs can save 1% of requirement. If everyone on earth would use these light bulbs and turning off the light when it is no longer required, you would save 20 power plants around the earth.
As a little thought before I go: Raising beef cattle requires the use of 10X more energy than to raise the same weight in chickens. So save where you can.
Where does all this come from? Well it comes from fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas), water, sun, nuclear, and wind. As we all know, we are running out of fossil fuels and because of that all the prices have risen and will continue to rise until we find a more usable (reusable?) source. You and I have heard of the "new" engines for cars and other means of transportation that use other sources. But you probably don't know that they have had these engines for decades, but because the oil was so cheap, the manufacturers thought that retooling their assembly lines would cost too much and the consumer (you and I) would not purchase them as long as the price of gasoline was so low. Now that the prices of the fuel have risen so much, they have decided to bring them out of the development stage to the fabrication process.
But vehicles are only one of the consumers of these fossil fuels as I have stated before. You and I also use electricity for our cooking, ironing, washing, housecleaning, and just lighting our homes. Think about all of the consumption that is going on in all the offices and stores where we shop. Again, lighting, heating/cooling, advertisements, and of course the ever present computers, screens, and printers which we no longer can get along without. How many of you have more than one computer at home? At work? We see special stores selling them and all of the accessories that we "need" to have to make our work/gaming easier and faster. New larger homes need more energy just because of their size and the growth of the earths population and their connection to the "lines" require more and more energy.
If everyone on the planet used the same amount energy as the "average" US user, we would need 5.4 earths to supply the amount of force required to feed their requirements. This calls for all of us to use less and less and for someone to design more efficient equipment requiring less energy supplies. And there is the request for all of us to be more creative in how we re-use our supply and find ways to use less energy. More efficient light bulbs can save 1% of requirement. If everyone on earth would use these light bulbs and turning off the light when it is no longer required, you would save 20 power plants around the earth.
As a little thought before I go: Raising beef cattle requires the use of 10X more energy than to raise the same weight in chickens. So save where you can.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Energy of the Future
There have been a number of ideas brought forth as to being the solver of part of the problem of future energy for use upon this little blue planet of ours. But no one has a solution that will, by itself, solve our energy problems by themselves. This is also true of what energy to use to propel us to far distant stars and planets. They have one solution but it will only last for 10 years and then the people using the space craft will have to develop their own solution. What I think the problem is, is that they are all looking to solve the problem with 20th century solutions. What they have to look for is a 21st or even a 22nd century solution. What does this mean? Well I think it means that they have to look at what elements they don't know and how could they use them with what they know to create new sources of energy. Just because they haven't found them does not mean that they don't exist, it just means that they have not found they way and/or means to find them.
I was taught in computers that when you start to design something and you don't know how long it will take, you start at the end and calculate what you need before the end to get there. And then what is needed to get to the next to last step and so on until you get to the beginning or where you are at this time. I know that it sounds strange to some and logical to others but really isn't that the way that the physicists, chemists, and mathematicians should be thinking. Not how to get there, but what are they trying to get to and work back wards. Isn't that really what Einstein was trying to tell us with his famous equation E=MC2? I know that he worked out how to get there, but didn't he really understand where he was going and worked it out as to how to get there? I don't know as I am not a genius or even really smart, but I do know how to think logically and that is how you get to where you want to get to. This simple idea has been running around my brain ever since I first heard of it and tried it out to solve my first computer problem.
I also used it to plan the implementation of a new system for NATO that is now the basis for all communications between all the different military departments around the world. This is to insure that no-one military will be left in the dark when it comes to working together to solve a problem. Therefore I believe that I can speak with a little confidence when I say: "Start solving the problem, by looking at the final solution".
I was taught in computers that when you start to design something and you don't know how long it will take, you start at the end and calculate what you need before the end to get there. And then what is needed to get to the next to last step and so on until you get to the beginning or where you are at this time. I know that it sounds strange to some and logical to others but really isn't that the way that the physicists, chemists, and mathematicians should be thinking. Not how to get there, but what are they trying to get to and work back wards. Isn't that really what Einstein was trying to tell us with his famous equation E=MC2? I know that he worked out how to get there, but didn't he really understand where he was going and worked it out as to how to get there? I don't know as I am not a genius or even really smart, but I do know how to think logically and that is how you get to where you want to get to. This simple idea has been running around my brain ever since I first heard of it and tried it out to solve my first computer problem.
I also used it to plan the implementation of a new system for NATO that is now the basis for all communications between all the different military departments around the world. This is to insure that no-one military will be left in the dark when it comes to working together to solve a problem. Therefore I believe that I can speak with a little confidence when I say: "Start solving the problem, by looking at the final solution".
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Why Libraries
One of the most famous people in history said "No society can exist without a library."
This was said as a result of people talking about the internet and how you won't need a library anymore because you will be able to get all the information you need using your computer. Even though I am a user of the internet to get free books about computers, programming, history, etc. I still believe in libraries. This is because they will continue to be the greatest source of information about anything you would want to know. Also there is something about having something in your hand and seeing the quality of the book itself and going back and forth between information in a number of books at the same time.
Throughout history there have been gigantic libaries that had all of the known books of the time. But because they were so hard to copy and to translate into other languages there sometimes weren't any other copies. When Ceasar burned Rome he destroyed the greatest library of his time. How many of ancient writings were lost forever we will never know, unless we can go back in time and "Copy" those documents. The problem was that some were written on papyrus or animal skins or clay tablets or other ways and means that the ancients developed to write upon. When the library was burned it really started the dark ages in Europe.
The only places that they thought was the only place to keep a book was in a Monestary. There monks worked long hours coping the few books that they knew about by hand. What they didn't realize was that in the are around the Mediterranean Sea the Arabic society had a number of large libraries. These were in Seville in Spain and Cario Egypt and Constantinople (now known as Istanbul) Turkey. They had books that were translated from the ancient languages and from Hindu and Chinese. This would make them some of the most educated people in the world. But what happened to them?
It seems that as the "Intelegent" Christians went to save the Holy Land they destroyed the libraries because they did not have the "Bible". But what is the Bible? That is an idea for another day.
It seems that as the "Intelegent" Christians went to save the Holy Land they destroyed the libraries because they did not have the "Bible". But what is the Bible? That is an idea for another day.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Robots of the Future
I was in a discussion the other day with some Portuguese friends and it came around to robots doing everything and there wouldn't be anything left for humans to do. That they would take over the world, etc.
I don't think it will come to that as all computers and robots are all designed, built, and programmed by different people. As I was a programmer before I retired I know that no two programmers really think alike and have a different way to come to the same solution. This would mean that no two types of robots would think the same way to come to the same conclusion, just like people. There is also the difference, right now, that there are a number of computer languages, written by people who speak, write and think in a different language. So I am not afraid of one computer taking over as it now stands.
There would be a way if they developed one robot to take over the memory and the programming of all the other robots to their way of working. This is what a number of geeks are now trying to do, in a way, with their viruses that they try to put into your computer. But there are a number of other geeks out there whose job it is to find all these viruses and get rid of them. This would be what I think would happen to the robots, as long as they keep making different robots.
I would be afraid if society allowed just one company to produce all of the robots, thereby giving them the ways and means to really take over from mankind. But if that happens, what would happen to the creators of the robot? They would disappear like the rest of mankind leaving only robots.
Do you agree with my reasoning and why it would never happen? Let me know what you think.
I don't think it will come to that as all computers and robots are all designed, built, and programmed by different people. As I was a programmer before I retired I know that no two programmers really think alike and have a different way to come to the same solution. This would mean that no two types of robots would think the same way to come to the same conclusion, just like people. There is also the difference, right now, that there are a number of computer languages, written by people who speak, write and think in a different language. So I am not afraid of one computer taking over as it now stands.
There would be a way if they developed one robot to take over the memory and the programming of all the other robots to their way of working. This is what a number of geeks are now trying to do, in a way, with their viruses that they try to put into your computer. But there are a number of other geeks out there whose job it is to find all these viruses and get rid of them. This would be what I think would happen to the robots, as long as they keep making different robots.
I would be afraid if society allowed just one company to produce all of the robots, thereby giving them the ways and means to really take over from mankind. But if that happens, what would happen to the creators of the robot? They would disappear like the rest of mankind leaving only robots.
Do you agree with my reasoning and why it would never happen? Let me know what you think.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Tax Cuts?
It amazes me that the Republican Party and its elected representatives may use their veto power on all bills in the Democratic Party won't vote positively for the retaining of the tax cut bill. Even though they know that the only people who are benifiting from this are the richest people in America. They have said that the rich would spend the money and it would trickle down to the poor, but it's just the other way around. If the poor buy the products, the rich will just get richer through the expansion of sales of their products and through that more people will be needed to produce more products to fill the demand for more. Thereby, I say again, the rich will get more money which they have never spent in a manner that helps the poor, just the rich. Who can spend $ 3 million for a painting that they have to put in a vault so no-one can see it, I wonder what poor person would get any of that money and how many jobs does that create?
It has always been known that the rich want every thing for free, which they get quite often, and not spend a dime. The poor need the money to exist, which is food, clothing, gas and transportation costs. When are they going to wake up that the Democrats were originally started to help the poor and the Republicans were for the rich. Now they claim they are the opposite but it seems to me they are all working for themselves.
There is an old saying that most lawyers are crooked and most of Congress is made up of lawyers. You decide who they are working for.
It has always been known that the rich want every thing for free, which they get quite often, and not spend a dime. The poor need the money to exist, which is food, clothing, gas and transportation costs. When are they going to wake up that the Democrats were originally started to help the poor and the Republicans were for the rich. Now they claim they are the opposite but it seems to me they are all working for themselves.
There is an old saying that most lawyers are crooked and most of Congress is made up of lawyers. You decide who they are working for.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Think of the Future
Strange that I should say this, but then again I have always thought of the future. But it was always about me and now that I have grown older and ?wiser? I know that we should be thinking of the future not only for ourselves, but also for the business/company we work for. But also for the cities and countries that we live in, but most of all forms the civilization as a whole.
Even Abu Dhabi, UAE has been thinking of the future. Just think of all the new buildings, hotels, harbours and islands they have been constructing. This includes an indoor ski slope. Also one of the most efficient airports in the world. Yes this was all built using the money they received from the oil that was found, but not a citizen of the country has to live in poverty or a slum or worry about where they will get their next meal from. The government has actually thought of the future for their people. Why can't more countries do the same thing, instead of keeping the money only for the rich. They have seen that the oil will run out and then what will their people do?
It's amazing how much money is made by the big businesses, but why does only the top people get a bonus when if it wan't for the ones making the products didn't work hard enough or long enough there wouldn't be any income for the top to get their "little" bonuses. Even the Chineese have learned that to really increase the productivity you have to reward the workers, then they have the incentive to really work harder, thereby increasing the income.
I just saw on CNN International where a CEO in Hong Kong gathered his everyday workers to a meeting and told them just how much he appreciated their efforts and to give bonuses to those that proved to be some of the best workers in their areas. He also announced to them first a new product that the company was to bring out.
The FIFA has just announced the winners of the 2018 and 2022 world cup winners and I am glad to say that even FIFA is thinking of the future of football/soccer around the world and the people of the world. Congratulations to both of the winners and to those who were not chosen because even if they didn't win the right to hold the contests they have earned the respect of the world that they had the forsight to bid for the games in the future. I hope that this decision will help other countries not on the lists will think harder and look further into their country to take the first steps for them to host the games in the FUTURE.
Even Abu Dhabi, UAE has been thinking of the future. Just think of all the new buildings, hotels, harbours and islands they have been constructing. This includes an indoor ski slope. Also one of the most efficient airports in the world. Yes this was all built using the money they received from the oil that was found, but not a citizen of the country has to live in poverty or a slum or worry about where they will get their next meal from. The government has actually thought of the future for their people. Why can't more countries do the same thing, instead of keeping the money only for the rich. They have seen that the oil will run out and then what will their people do?
It's amazing how much money is made by the big businesses, but why does only the top people get a bonus when if it wan't for the ones making the products didn't work hard enough or long enough there wouldn't be any income for the top to get their "little" bonuses. Even the Chineese have learned that to really increase the productivity you have to reward the workers, then they have the incentive to really work harder, thereby increasing the income.
I just saw on CNN International where a CEO in Hong Kong gathered his everyday workers to a meeting and told them just how much he appreciated their efforts and to give bonuses to those that proved to be some of the best workers in their areas. He also announced to them first a new product that the company was to bring out.
The FIFA has just announced the winners of the 2018 and 2022 world cup winners and I am glad to say that even FIFA is thinking of the future of football/soccer around the world and the people of the world. Congratulations to both of the winners and to those who were not chosen because even if they didn't win the right to hold the contests they have earned the respect of the world that they had the forsight to bid for the games in the future. I hope that this decision will help other countries not on the lists will think harder and look further into their country to take the first steps for them to host the games in the FUTURE.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Drawing Viet Vet
I have always thought that this is the way most people thought about us: as just an idea.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
War on the Beaches (WWII)
Walking on the beach during the early days of World War II and seeing Coast Guardsmen on patrol amidst the debris of torpedoed ships. I think of those men often when I walk the beach, especially at night, when it’s easier to imagine the cold, loneliness, and boredom they endured as part of their contribution to the war.
After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard continued its pre-war beach patrols – usually one man armed only with flares – to spot enemy submarines and watch for saboteurs who might be landing from those subs. All of that changed after June 13, 1942, when Seaman 2nd Class John C. Cullen was approached by a stranger on the beach near Amagansett, Long Island. The men and his companions were Nazi agents ( an extremely incompetent group, fortunately) freshly landed from the German sub U-584. Their discovery and subsequent capture turned the Coast Guard beach patrol into
Spending time at the Jersey shore, as I have since I was a kid, always conjures up my parents and the things they talked about back then. For example, they remembered walking on the beach during the early days of World War II and seeing Coast Guardsmen on patrol amidst the debris of torpedoed ships. I think of those men often when I walk the beach, especially at night, when it’s easier to imagine the cold, loneliness, and boredom they endured as part of their contribution to the war.
After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard continued its pre-war beach patrols – usually one man armed only with flares – to spot enemy submarines and watch for saboteurs who might be landing from those subs. All
of that changed after June 13, 1942, when Seaman 2nd Class John C. Cullen was approached by a stranger on the beach near Amagansett, Long Island. The men and his companions were Nazi agents ( an extremely incompetent group, fortunately) freshly landed from the German sub U-584. Their discovery and subsequent capture turned the Coast Guard beach patrol into an armed force that used men, dogs and horses (above) to patrol America’s shoreline for the balance of the war.
an armed force that used men, dogs and horses (left) to patrol America’s shoreline for the balance of the war.
US Coast Guard WWII
The Beach Patrol and Corsair Fleet, one of a number of booklets produced by the Coast Guard to commemorate the 50th anniversary of World War II, tells the little-known story of this aspect of the war. Although saboteurs never amounted to much of a problem, the patrol performed its most important service in its traditional role of lifesaving. A particularly dramatic rescue occurred off the sheer cliffs of Washington State in 1943, when the Soviet freighter Lamut struck the rocky ground below a sheer cliff near Teahwhit Beach. Guardsmen hurled a makeshift heaving line from the cliff top to the freighter so the crewmen could ascend hand over hand, “Hanging between the black clouds above and the snarling, crashing breakers below…One slip on the wet line would have meant instant death.” Wow!
The Corsair Fleet, complete with a Donald Duck logo (above), was a motley conglomeration of yachts and smaller craft offered to the U.S. Navy by the Cruising Club of America for emergency U-Boat spotting off the East Coast in the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor. The Navy refused the offer until an avalanche of bad publicity forced its hand and it gave the Coast Guard permission to organize the Coastal Picket Patrol, more commonly known as the Corsair Fleet. During much of 1942, these ships and their amateur crews patrolled in all kinds of weather and spotted a few U-Boats before being eliminated as an economy measure in 1943. Shades of Ernest Hemingway’s private submarine patrols off Key West!
You can read this fascinating little booklet here or find it in a library here.
You can read this fascinating little booklet here or find it in a library here.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Be a Philosopher
A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, without limits, follow his inclinations within the aims of his religious beliefs if he soes so discretly
Remember, even a rebel grows old, and sometimes wiser. He finds the things be rebelled against are now the things he must defend against newer rebels. Aging bones creak in the cold. Seek warmth, be descreet, but follow your own mind. When you have obtained position you will have influence. Otherwise you will tear at the bars until your strength is gone, and you will have accomplished nothing but to rant and rave.
Compromise is and evil word, but just think, we compromise and without it there would be no progress, nor could men live together. You may think a man a fool, but if he is an agreeable fool you say nothing. Isn't that compromise?
Victory is not won in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later win a little more.
A man should not compromise his principles, but he need not flaunt them, as a banner. There is a time to talk and a time to be still. If a wrong is being done, then is the time to speak out.
Study, gain prestige, and people will ask you solemnly for advice about things of which you know nothing.
There are many ways of fighting. Many a man or woman has waged a good war for truth, honor and freedom, who did not shed blood in the process. Beware of those who would use violence, too often it is the violence they want and neither truth or freedom.
The important thing is to know where you stand and what you believe, Then be true to yourself in all things. Moreover, ikt is foolish to waste time in arguing questions with those who have no power to change.
Remember, even a rebel grows old, and sometimes wiser. He finds the things be rebelled against are now the things he must defend against newer rebels. Aging bones creak in the cold. Seek warmth, be descreet, but follow your own mind. When you have obtained position you will have influence. Otherwise you will tear at the bars until your strength is gone, and you will have accomplished nothing but to rant and rave.
Compromise is and evil word, but just think, we compromise and without it there would be no progress, nor could men live together. You may think a man a fool, but if he is an agreeable fool you say nothing. Isn't that compromise?
Victory is not won in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later win a little more.
A man should not compromise his principles, but he need not flaunt them, as a banner. There is a time to talk and a time to be still. If a wrong is being done, then is the time to speak out.
Study, gain prestige, and people will ask you solemnly for advice about things of which you know nothing.
There are many ways of fighting. Many a man or woman has waged a good war for truth, honor and freedom, who did not shed blood in the process. Beware of those who would use violence, too often it is the violence they want and neither truth or freedom.
The important thing is to know where you stand and what you believe, Then be true to yourself in all things. Moreover, ikt is foolish to waste time in arguing questions with those who have no power to change.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Water
Water is needed by all living things.
Water is a basic need for our well being.
Why do some people insist on polluting our water?
Water is a basic need for our well being.
Why do some people insist on polluting our water?
Sunday, November 21, 2010
My Families History
As my real last name is Featherstone, I have been researching my family history and have come up with some connections that include a history of the Featherstone Castle and the haunting of of it. To read about it see http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/england/northumberland/hauntings/featherstone-castle.html. I also have two sites where I have been trying to find all the information I can about my family tree.
With My Heritage site you can see it at: http://www.myheritage.com.pt/site-119057661/savanah-featherstone
With Ancestry.com you can see them at: http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/19621879/family/pedigree?fpid=830563179
If you are interested in finding your family history/background, I have no fear in advising you to use either of these two sites. They also have programs that you can use on your computer and update those on the site when you are able so that you do not have to be on the internet all of the time.
I am also a member of the Featherstone Society which has just started on Facebook, but is by invitation only. So if you want to meet more of those people around the world who have the common ancestors you could join or create your own society and get to know who your real family is and how large.
Have fun researching your family history.
With My Heritage site you can see it at: http://www.myheritage.com.pt/site-119057661/savanah-featherstone
With Ancestry.com you can see them at: http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/19621879/family/pedigree?fpid=830563179
If you are interested in finding your family history/background, I have no fear in advising you to use either of these two sites. They also have programs that you can use on your computer and update those on the site when you are able so that you do not have to be on the internet all of the time.
I am also a member of the Featherstone Society which has just started on Facebook, but is by invitation only. So if you want to meet more of those people around the world who have the common ancestors you could join or create your own society and get to know who your real family is and how large.
Have fun researching your family history.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
What is love?
"Perhaps when a man has held a woman in his arms, there is a little of her with him forever. Who is to say?
A ruined castle, and ancient garden, a moon rising over a fountain . . . love comes easily at such a time. Perhaps we loved each other then; perhaps we do not love each other now, but we each have a memory.
Love is a moment of stillness that sometimes a word can shatter to fragments, or love can be a thing that endures, a rich deep current that flows unending dow the years.
I do not think one should demand that love be forever. Perhaps it is better that it not be forever. How can one answer for more than the moment? Who knows what strange tides may sweep us away? What depts there may be or twists and turns and shallows? Each life sails a separate course, although sometimes, and this is the best of times, two lives may move along together until the end of time?
Listen to the music out there. Is the song less beautiful because it has an end? I believe each of us wishes to find the song that does not end, but for me that time is not now.
I have nothing. I have no home, no land, no position. I am an empty gourd that must fill itself.
I owe no debts to destiny, nor could I exist on the bounty of another. I am not a lopdog to be kept by a woman. I do not know what awaits me out there beyond the tim of things, but destiny calls, and I must go. For you and me, today is all we have; tomorrow is a mirage that my never become reality."
The above was taken from a novel by Louis L'Amour called "The Walking Drum". He was more famous for his westerns, a number of which were made into movies, but this shows the depth and beauty that he could write.
A ruined castle, and ancient garden, a moon rising over a fountain . . . love comes easily at such a time. Perhaps we loved each other then; perhaps we do not love each other now, but we each have a memory.
Love is a moment of stillness that sometimes a word can shatter to fragments, or love can be a thing that endures, a rich deep current that flows unending dow the years.
I do not think one should demand that love be forever. Perhaps it is better that it not be forever. How can one answer for more than the moment? Who knows what strange tides may sweep us away? What depts there may be or twists and turns and shallows? Each life sails a separate course, although sometimes, and this is the best of times, two lives may move along together until the end of time?
Listen to the music out there. Is the song less beautiful because it has an end? I believe each of us wishes to find the song that does not end, but for me that time is not now.
I have nothing. I have no home, no land, no position. I am an empty gourd that must fill itself.
I owe no debts to destiny, nor could I exist on the bounty of another. I am not a lopdog to be kept by a woman. I do not know what awaits me out there beyond the tim of things, but destiny calls, and I must go. For you and me, today is all we have; tomorrow is a mirage that my never become reality."
The above was taken from a novel by Louis L'Amour called "The Walking Drum". He was more famous for his westerns, a number of which were made into movies, but this shows the depth and beauty that he could write.
Friday, November 19, 2010
The American Dream
America is going through a tough time in our history right now, but what I
see is an America that is waking up. Americans have taken their freedoms
for granted for far too long.
Now, with the talk of socialism sweeping through our government, the
government getting so much bigger, and with the Government debt that too
large for America to sustain, average Americans who have been a sleep for
so many years, seem to be waking up to what we all have to lose – The
American Dream
Our Founding Fathers gave us a gift, unfortunately schools in America no
longer teach about our Founding Fathers and that gift. Parents are no longer
teaching it to their children. I have been studying our Founding Fathers for
about 20 years and I will say this: How can a country know where it is
headed, if doesn't know from where it came? It can’t!
see is an America that is waking up. Americans have taken their freedoms
for granted for far too long.
Now, with the talk of socialism sweeping through our government, the
government getting so much bigger, and with the Government debt that too
large for America to sustain, average Americans who have been a sleep for
so many years, seem to be waking up to what we all have to lose – The
American Dream
Our Founding Fathers gave us a gift, unfortunately schools in America no
longer teach about our Founding Fathers and that gift. Parents are no longer
teaching it to their children. I have been studying our Founding Fathers for
about 20 years and I will say this: How can a country know where it is
headed, if doesn't know from where it came? It can’t!
Monday, September 27, 2010
The Time Has Come
When I received this in my email yesterday I just had to add it to my blog as it fits in my previous posting: Government Spending.
The Time Has Indeed Come!
Governors of 35 states have already filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon them. It only takes 38 (of the 50) States to convene a Constitutional Convention.
This will take less than thirty seconds to read. If you agree, please pass it on.
An idea whose time has come!
For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest was to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform ... in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.
A Constitutional Convention - this is a good way to do that. It is an idea whose time has come. And, with the advent of modern communication, the process can be moved along with incredible speed. There is talk out there that the "government" doesn't care what the people think. That is irrelevant. It is incumbent on the population to address elected officials to the wrongs afflicted against the populace...you and me. Think about this...
The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.
I'm asking each addressee to forward this Email to a minimum of twenty people on their Address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.
In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one proposal that really should be passed around.
Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution: "Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States ."
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Earthquakes
Earthquakes have been with us since the beginning of time. It has formed the continents and created the Oceans. The mountains were formed due to the fact that the earthquakes caused the teutonic plates to move against each other,
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