Scientists…


Gotta love it when they have TOO MUCH time on their hands… sigh…

“Conditional Optimism: Whether the container is “half-full” or “half-empty” at 1/2 Vmax is dependent upon the sign of the change in volume with the change in time (dV/dt). If you are filling the container dV/dt>0 with V=Vmax at t=∞ it is “half-full”. If you are emptying the container dV/dt less than 0 v=”0″ t=”∞” style=”mso-spacerun:yes”> If you are neither filling nor emptying the container, dV/dt is negative because of evaporation (V=0 at t=∞). Unless you are actively filling the container, it is always on the way to empty. Note that if the goal is to empty the container, then “half-empty” is actually an optimistic statement and “half-full” is actually a pessimistic statement. Therefore, the only time you could consider yourself an optimist is the case of V=1/2 Vmax, dV/dt less than 0, with V=0 at t=∞ and declaring “half-full”. In that case, you may be an optimist, but the preceding proof shows that you are just plain wrong.”


In Other News…

Built in the early 80s, NASA’s oldest surviving space shuttle rolled to a halt; wrapping up a career spanning some 5,750 orbits, 148 million miles and 365 days in space during 39 missions since its maiden launch in August 1984.


Note: I believe this is more time in space than any other space vehicle using ‘standard’ launch and recovery procedures…

Photo- NASA TV

NASA, y’all done good; you’ve made at least SOME of us proud to be Americans!!!

Now THIS just pisses me off…

From Red State:

The Speaker’s Office and the Senate Majority Leader are blocking a request that Frank Buckles be allowed to lie in state (or in honor as the case may be) in the rotunda of the United States Capitol.

Frank Buckles is not just anybody. I agree that we should not let just anybody lie in state in the rotunda. I totally understand Harry Reid and John Boehner’s reasoning. The right should be reserved for a very special few. While I understand his reasoning, I think the last of the WWI and the last of the WWII servicemen should be given the honor.

Frank Buckles is not just a special few. He is the last of his kind. The very last.

Precisely 4,734,991 Americans served in World War I. Frank Buckles was the last of them to die. He lied to get into the Army at age 16 so he could fight the Kaiser. He is the last of a generation of Americans who heard the calling for freedom in a way other did not and rose up to fight.

He is the last of those men and boys who fought under an American flag across an ocean in a land most had never been who did so not because we were attacked or brought into a war, as we were in World War II, but because they heard the call of freedom in the first great war.

He, as the last of the embodiment of the men and boys who heard that first call for freedom across the seas, deserves to lie in the Rotunda.

The Speaker may be reached at (202) 225-0600. Harry Reid may be reached at (202) 224-3542.

In her statement, Mrs. Buckles Flanagan (his daughter) laid out her case why that is not enough:

“My father was a humble and soft-spoken gentleman who did not seek honor or recognition for himself, but in the last few years of his life others began to seek his support to the cause of honoring the military veterans of World War I, which he was glad to do. He was invited to testify before Congress on this subject in 2009, and he was honored to do so. When he became the last living American veteran of World War I, he recognized his role as representative of all the service members who served, fought, and died in the Great War and felt that it was his duty to do so, just as strongly as he felt the call to enlist and help fight that war, with all the other American doughboys.

In recent years, various Members of Congress have proposed to honor all the military veterans of World War I by honoring the last of those veterans to die. As fate would have it, that turned out to be my father. While Papa was still living, it was suggested that he lie in honor in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol as a final, formal tribute to all the veterans of World War I. Papa consented to this because he understood that, as the last living World War I veteran, he was expected to represent all of the World War I veterans. He looked upon this as his final duty, which he took very seriously.

My father’s friends, family and acquaintances will acknowledge his character and accomplishments, remember him and mourn his loss regardless of any formal honors bestowed upon him. The issue is how do we as Americans come together over this loss, by providing a befitting venue to do so? How do we demonstrate to our own people and people all over the world how the United States of America honors its citizens of distinction?

We need a time for reflection, and the recognition of the end of an era and the passing of a generation, especially for those men and women who made the Supreme Sacrifice for their country, and my father serves as a symbol for all those who served in World War I.

The Unknown Soldier from World War I and others have been recognized by lying in honor in the Rotunda of the Capitol. If the last American soldier surviving is not suitable to serve as a symbol around which we can rally to honor those who served their country in the Great War, then who can serve that purpose? There is no one left. If we lose the opportunity to bestow this highest of honors on the person who was the last surviving representative, there can be no making it up later.

There is no extraordinary precedent being made here. The next similar request will come for the last survivor of World War II in 25 or 30 years time, and it will be appropriate to honor that person, as well. It is absolutely appropriate to, and there is widespread public support for, allowing Frank Woodruff Buckles to lie in honor in the Rotunda. Let it be so.

We thank everyone for their prayers and support during this solemn time for our family and our country.”

Granted that Cpl Buckles never saw action, and was never decorated, but he SERVED, and is the LAST SURVIVOR…

Even more interesting to me, DOD and the Military have said absolutely NOTHING… And if fact are not even planning to provide military honors (assuming Mr. Buckles is allowed to buried in Arlington)…

What we have here, in my opinion is a direct slam against not only the military veterans, but a political ‘game’ being played out inside the administration and Congress…

This IS NOT the place or time to play these games, Cpl Buckles and the memory of our WWI Veterans deserve better than this!!!

Please call t

he Speaker may be reached at (202) 225-0600 and Harry Reid may be reached at (202) 224-3542 and voice your displeasure.

h/t Redstate.com

Edit 8 Mar…

Honoring Frank Buckles

John Boehner and Harry Reid are working to ensure that he is properly — highly — honored at Arlington. In a letter to Robert Gates, they ask:

[W]e respectfully request, in addition to his interment in Arlington Cemetery, that the remains of Corporal Frank Buckles, U.S. Army, August 1917-January 1920, be allowed to lie in honor for a period of time in the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater. . . .

Frank Buckles answered the call of duty to defend his country. He loved America and was assured of its ultimate victory. His contributions and sacrifice on behalf of the republic mark him as true patriot worthy of the hallowed grounds of Arlington.

Guess He’s NOT GOOD ENOUGH for the Capitol… Sigh…

Random Humor…

When a male can’t stand it anymore! Priceless shot!


+++++++++++
Little Known Facts About MINNESOTA

Minnesota became the 32nd state on May 11, 1858 and was originally settled by a lost tribe of Norwegians seeking refuge from the searing
heat of Wisconsin ‘s winters.

The state flag of Minnesota consists of a blue background upon which sits a design best described as “how a 7-year-old city girl would
draw a picture titled ‘life on the farm'”.

Minnesota gets its name from the Sioux Indian word “mah-nee-soo-tah”, meaning, “No,
really… they eat fish soaked in lye”.

The state song of Minnesota is “Someday the Vikings will… Aw, never mind”.

The Mall of America in Bloomington , Minnesota covers 9.5 million square feet and has enough space to hold 185,000 idiot teenagers yapping away on cell phones.

Madison, Minnesota is known as “the lutefisk capital of the world”. Avoid this city at all costs.

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” was set in Minneapolis, Minnesota , and was Mary’s first real acting job since leaving the “Dick Van Dyke Show”. The show is about a single woman’s struggle to find happiness in the big city.

The state motto of Minnesota at one time was “Where even a man who wears a feather boa can be governor.” Now it’s “Where even Stuart
Smalley can be Senator.”

Downtown Minneapolis has an enclosed skyway system covering 52 blocks, allowing people to live, work, eat, and sleep without ever going outside. The only downside to this is that a Norwegian occasionally turns up missing.

Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up in St. Paul . He was the only artist to accurately depict the perfectly circular heads of Minnesota natives.

The Hormel Company of Austin Minnesota produces 6 million cans of Spam a year, even though no one actually eats it. Spam is a prized food in Japan .

Water skis were invented in 1922 in Lake City ,Minnesota by Ralph Samuelson. Sadly, he drowned shortly afterwards,
as the motorboat hadn’t been invented yet.

St. Paul , Minnesota was originally named “Pig’s Eye”, after French Canadian whiskey trader Pierre “pig’s eye” Parrant. Its “twin city”, Minneapolis , was known as “Pig’s Colon “

Pelican Rapids is home to a 16-foot-tall concrete pelican which subsists on a diet of 4-foot-long
concrete fish.

In 1973, Olivia , Minnesota , erected a 25-foot tall fiberglass corn cob to celebrate its rich, agricultural heritage. Then in 1974, it was eaten by a 50-foot statue of Babe the blue ox. Yes, Minnesota has a lot of problems with statue cannibalism.

Minnesota license plates are blue & white and contain the phrase “Blizzards on Independence Day – you get used to it.”

Frank C. Mars, founder of the Mars Candy Co. was born in Hancock, Minnesota. His 3 Musketeers candy bar originally contained three bars in one wrapper, each filled with a different flavor of nougat – chocolate, spam, and lutefisk.

The first fully automatic pop-up toaster was invented in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1926. Minnesota ‘s stringent bread-control laws currently only allow residents to own semi-automatic toasters.

Tonka trucks continue to be manufactured in Minnetonka, Minnesota, despite the thousands of GI Joe dolls killed by them annually in rollover accidents. No airbags, no seat belts. These things are deathtraps, I tell ya!

Author Laura Ingalls Wilder was raised at Walnut Grove, Minnesota , and was famous for writing the “Little House” series of books, as well as inventing the “spam diet” which consists of looking at a plate of spam until you lose your appetite. Much like the “lutefisk diet”.

The snowmobile was invented in Roseau , Minnesota so as to allow families a means of attending Independence Day picnics.

Minnesotans are almost indistinguishable from Wisconsinites. The only way to tell them apart is to ask if they voted for Mondale in ’84.
++++++++++++
Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said, “Someone may steal from it at night.” So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.

Then Congress said, “How does the watchman do his job without instruction?” So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions and one person to do time studies.

Then Congress said, “How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?” So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people, one to do the studies and one to write the reports.

Then Congress said, “How are these people going to get paid?” So they created two positions, a time keeper and a payroll officer, then hired two people.

Then Congress said, “Who will be accountable for all of these people?”

So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, an Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.

Then Congress said, “We have had this command in operation for one year, and we are $918,000 over budget. We must cut back.” So they laid off the night watchman.

NOW slowly, let that sink in.

Quietly, we go like sheep to slaughter.

Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY….. during the Carter Administration?

Anybody?

Beuler?

/crickets…

Didn’t think so!

Bottom line: We’ve spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency…the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember!

Ready?? It was very simple . . . and, at the time, everybody thought it very appropriate.

The Department of Energy was instituted on 8/04/1977 TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.

Hey, pretty efficient, huh???

AND, NOW, IT’S 2011 — 34 YEARS LATER — AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS “NECESSARY” DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. IT HAS 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES, AND LOOK AT THE JOB IT HAS DONE! THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY, “WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?”

Crash and Dash…

I got a chance to watch the Navy test pilots flying the new F-35 JSF this week, and they were doing crashes and dashes…

That’s what the Navy calls touch and go landings, when they are practicing Field Carrier Landing Practice (better known as FCLPs)

Basically what you do is simulate landing on a carrier deck painted on a runway…

Below is one of those painted ‘decks’, the objects in the green circle are the Improved Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System (height increased from 4 feet to 6 feet for Datum lights), better known as the Ball, and an LSO platform


The green line is the center line of the FCLP carrier deck. As you can see, ‘most’ of the landings occur in the same place, and the run out is rather short. This is because they land and immediately go to max power and yank the bird back in the air (assuming nothing fell off)…

This is what the “Ball” looks like…


The cut lights are used for no comms clearance for landing, and the LSO uses them for power applications if they are not talking to the pilot (the longer the green, the more power they want to see…


The line of green lights in the middle are the datum lights, which is what the pilot is seeing and ‘hopefully’ the orange ‘ball’ in the center stays right at the datum level. The red lights are wave off (mandatory) lights also controlled by the LSO if they think the pilot is about to make a serious error in judgement…

This is an actual system installed on a carrier, it is fully stabilized and allows a stable point of reference regardless of ship movement. It is ‘focused’ 2500 feet behind the carrier as the stability point.

So anyhoo… I was standing with a Brit pilot who is over for the evaluation, and he was telling me the Air Force pilot had just left because he couldn’t stand to watch…


Now you’ve got to remember, the Air Force penalizes pilots if they bruise the tires on landing. The Navy, well if the tires and wheels LAST 10 landings they’re happy…


It was a nice break, and I’ll have to say, the JSF IS the sound (and a loud one) of FREEDOM 🙂


Enjoy your weekend folks!

Perspective…


USS REAGAN

Seeing it next to the Arizona Memorial really puts its size into perspective… BIG!!!

When the Bridge pipes ‘ Man the Rail’ there is a lot of rail to man on this monster: shoulder to shoulder, around 4.5 acres. Her displacement is about 100,000 tons with full complement.

Capability

Top speed exceeds 30 knots, powered by two nuclear reactors that can operate for more than 20 years without refueling

1. Expected to operate in the fleet for about 50 years
2. Carries over 80 combat aircraft
3. Four arresting cables can stop a 28-ton aircraft going 150 miles per hour in less than 400 feet

Size

1. Towers 20 stories above the waterline

2. 1092 feet long; nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall (The USS Arizona by comparison, was 608 Ft long)

3. Flight deck covers 4.5 acres
4. 4 bronze propellers, each 21 feet across, weighing 66,200 pounds
5. 2 rudders, each 29 by 22 feet and weighing 50 tons
6. 4 high speed aircraft elevators, each over 4,000 square feet

Capacity

1. Home to about 6,000 Navy personnel (that’s 6,000 sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters of AMERICANS)
2. Carries enough food and supplies to operate for 90 days

3. 18,150 meals served daily 4. Distillation plants provide 400,000 gallons of fresh water from sea water daily, enough for 2,000 homes
5. Nearly 30,000 light fixtures and 1,325 miles of cable and wiring ; 1,400 telephones
6. 14,000 pillowcases and 28,000 sheets

Last Man Standing…

Frank Buckles, the last American Doughboy from WWI is dead. He died Sunday in Charles Town, WV at 110 years old. Mr. Buckles was instrumental the last few years in promoting/speaking about the need for a TRUE WWI Memorial, and was a national treasure…

You can read the article in the NYT HERE. And Borepatch has a nice tribute up HERE with video…

Rest in Peace Corporal, your work is done… And God Bless you…

Singing the National Anthem…

With all the kindness I can muster, I give this one piece of advice to the next pop star who is asked to sing the national anthem at a sporting event: save the vocal gymnastics and the physical gyrations for your concerts. Just sing this song the way you were taught to sing it in kindergarten — straight up, no styling.

Sing it with the constant awareness that there are soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines watching you from bases and outposts all over the world. Don’t make them cringe with your self-centered ego gratification.

Sing it as if you are standing before a row of 86-year-old WWII vets wearing their Purple Hearts, Silver Stars and flag pins on their cardigans and you want them to be proud of you for honoring them and the country they love — not because you want them to think you are a superstar musician. They could see that from the costumes, the makeup and the entourages.

Sing “The Star Spangled Banner” with the courtesy and humility that tells the audience that it is about America, not you.

If you can’t or won’t, then don’t do it again…

Random things…

Got a little range time with Me from Lagniappe’s Lair today, and got to meet Murphy for the first time… 60+lbs of friendly, shedding German Shepard does “interesting” things to a fleece jacket…LOL

I don’t particularly care for shooting in the cold, but it’s good ‘practice’… And it looks like 340+ rounds without cleaning are about all the FN Tac 45 will take without cleaning, as it did start having FTFs, so tomorrow it gets a detail strip and cleaning tomorrow.

I was breaking in a new 30-06 and Me was trying to get the final zero on his lefty Savage Tactical in .308…

Those last half inches of scope alignment are hell… 1 click up, 1 click left; lather rinse repeat, drop a flyer, shoot two, adjust… sigh…

ME ran out of ammo, and I ran out of shoulder… 30-06 in a Featherweight DOES get your attention, trust me!

But a fun time was had by all 🙂

In other news, I’m beginning to believe the dems ARE going to try to close down the government… I think these idjits in DC are looking at what the dems are doing in WI and thinking they can do the same thing and blame the Republicans (and they are already positioning themselves to do that on the political programs)…

Libya has truly blown up, with Gaddafi hiring mercenaries to come in and kill his ‘opponents’ (his own people), and the US has ‘finally’ said they will embargo him and have frozen his US holdings. The ‘delay’ was waiting for US citizens to get out of Tripoli (on a boat that was WAY too small)…

Hello State Dept? Ya ever hear of HEAD COUNT??? 210ft boat is NOT BIG ENOUGH!!! The Greeks, with half the number of people, had a boat twice as big!

And Zercool has an excellent post up HERE on situation awareness when you are buying or selling via any list… Well worth the read, and good common sense!


Now back to gun cleaning, y’all enjoy the weekend!!!

In the YGTBSM File…

From Politico… By Glenn Thrush…

February 24, 2011

The Democratic National Committee wanted to honor Nancy Pelosi Thursday — but its praise wasn’t good enough for the House minority leader.

When the DNC’s Resolutions Committee brought up a resolution commemorating Pelosi’s years as speaker of the House, Pelosi’s daughter sought to alter the proposal at her mother’s behest, adding some of the accomplishments that the elder Pelosi felt the committee had overlooked.

“I have some friendly amendments,” said Christine Pelosi, a political strategist, at the committee’s session during the DNC Winter Meeting at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel Thursday afternoon. She is a member of the committee.

“You think I’m kidding,” Christine Pelosi added, to surprised laughter from the room. The proposed changes, she indicated, came out of a discussion with her mother.

First, Pelosi wanted to add a mention of her fight against HIV and AIDS, because it was “why she went to Congress.” Then, she wanted to insert a paragraph on her “accomplishments for equality,” mentioning the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 and the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in December.

“Finally, since, as she said, ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ she wanted to add, in the final ‘whereas’ clause, ‘…and will continue the fight for America’s working families,'” Christine Pelosi said.

The committee applauded that point, and approved the amended resolution on a voice vote.

It is more and more obvious Pelosi’s ego knows NO bounds… sigh…

I really don’t know what else to say, since I KNOW I’d have to start using four letter words to express myself…

Accuracy…

Now THIS is the definition of accuracy… from the pointy end, not the usual view…

The attached video was filmed by some Air Force Joint Tactical Air Controllers (JTAC) in Tal Afar, west of Mosul in Iraq . A marine unit got pinned down in the street. They set their video camera on the bumper of their armored HUM-V, which they were using for cover. Keep an eye on the opposing van parked just down the street. On the audio you can hear them shooting back and forth. The rounds you can hear are from the Marines, and the ones you hear pinging against the side of the vehicle with no accompanying pop are from the bad guys. When the Marine says they just fired the “rifle,” it means an F-16 aircraft just launched a Maverick missile. You can hear it come in and see it strike the vehicle the bad guys were using for cover.

Probability is the 16 used either TV or Laser designator…