31 March 07 - 09:58Hualapai
What are the Hualapai doing lately? I became aware of this American Indian tribe when I started reading about the Grand Canyon Skywalk a couple of years ago. I am now finding out that it is open to the public, as planned, and on schedule.
These folks on the Hualapai reservation sound like interesting folks. Route 66 goes through the center of Peach Springs, the governmental focal point of the reservation, where tourists will find the general store, gas station, and gift shop. The average age on the reservation is under 30, so I think this type of project is the result of young original thinking. Although I am a bit older than 30 these days, I like young thinking. And there are only a few in the immediate community, the 2000 census reported a total population of only 1,353 persons residing on these tribal lands. I can relate to that. When I lived in North Dakota this was the size of many towns that I lived in and traveled to.
I intend to go and see this new "wonder," but I really want to meet these people. They are remarkable. When I go, I'll let you know how I do since I am quite afraid of heights. However, take a look at this National Geographic Site and I don't feel so bad at walking with care as these folks look like they are walking pretty carefully. Also, it would be cheating to do it with my eyes closed.
For a small group these folks seem in tune with the earth and with reality.
Congratulations Hualapai tribe, I will be there to check this thing out.
Additional Links:
Tribal Environmental Site
Skywalk Tour Info
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30 March 07 - 22:34The Corn Economy
I had a friend tell me today that there will be 12 million additional acres of corn planted this year. That is a lot of acres. Here is a quote to put it in perspective:
"DES MOINES, Iowa – 3/30/2007 - Farmers are expected to plant 90.5 million acres of corn, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual prospective plantings report released Friday. That would be a 15 percent increase over 2006 and the most corn planted since 1944."
A lot is said about the additional corn processing plants which will be making ethanol. If all goes well, let's plug this in:
- 12 million acres is the amount planted
- Typically a bit over 90 percent gets harvested or 11 million acres
- Assume the 11 million acres will produce at 150 bushels per acre
- Assume you get 2.6 gallons of ethanol per bushel of corn
This additionl corn alone would feed over forty 100 million gallon fuel ethanol plants
More on this later.
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29 March 07 - 23:08Weekend in ND
I am getting ready for bed, but thought that I would let you know I am spending a short time in my old home town, Lisbon, ND.
I grew up here between the ages of 3 and 20 or so and have recently been buying picture postcards on Ebay of the town. There were so many interesting things in a small town (2200 people) 100 years ago. One of the things I intend to do is take a walk to the river and see if there is any evidence whatsoever of the flour mill that used to be run by water power as late as the 1920's.
I have a postcard and some arial evidence from Google Earth to support my "investigation" plus childhood memories of seeing the foundations and remains of the turbines.
Also, I will get to see my Mom. That's where I am now. Anyway, it's time for bed in North Dakota!!
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26 March 07 - 19:59We now know what killed Anna Nicole!
Well, today was the day. The long awaited "cause" of Anna Nicole Smith's death. Was it the trichloroacetaldehyde monohydrate (chloral hydrate)? Was it the boil on the bun? Was it pneumonia or blood poisoning? Or maybe foul play, such as poisoning or asphyxia?
Chloral hydrate would have been rather unique since it was the instrument of death for Marilyn Monroe. Anna rather identified with Marilyn, so they say.
Well, it wasn't the boil or foul play. It was an accidental drug overdose. I would have been surprised if it was otherwise. The medical examiner seems like a straight shooter and any other official cause would have been sugar coating the real underlying cause of death, which was a life style based on (mostly) prescription drugs for every occasion.
Drugs to wake up, drugs to sleep, drugs to forget, drugs, drugs, drugs...
How many people can you think of with the same issues?
Later!
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24 March 07 - 00:50To Become a Catholic
Each Friday night after work, Bubba would fire up his outdoor grill and cook a venison steak. But all of Bubba's neighbors were Catholic . . . and since it was Lent, they were forbidden to eat meat on Friday. The delicious aroma from the grilled venison steaks was causing such a problem for the Catholic faithful that they finally talked to their priest.
The Priest came to visit Bubba, and suggested that he become a Catholic. After several classes and much study, Bubba attended Mass...
The priest sprinkled holy water over him, chanting,
"You were born a Baptist, and raised a Baptist, but now you are a Catholic."
Bubba's neighbors were greatly relieved, until Friday night arrived, and the wonderful aroma of grilled venison filled the neighborhood.
The Priest was called immediately by the neighbors, and, as he rushed into Bubba's yard, clutching a rosary and prepared to scold him, he stopped and watched in amazement.
There stood Bubba, clutching a small bottle of holy water which he carefully sprinkled over the grilling meat and chanted:
"You wuz born a deer, you wuz raised a deer, but now you is a catfish!"
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17 March 07 - 19:20Rosie should go
This woman is nuts. Totally and completely nuts. On Thursday's (March 15) installment of "The View," Rosie O'Donnell actually said that she believes Al Qaeda terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confessed only because he was tortured by the CIA. I didn't see the episode myself, but in reading transcripts it is hard to decide if she thinks the confession was false or if she thinks it was obtained in a way she did not approve.
Whatever. If the audience of this show doesn't realize what an acerbic bitch she is by now, they never will. I can't begin to imagine how Rosie could possibly be an improvement over the woman she replaced, Star whatever. It would appear that she is intent on making Barbara Walters fully sorry she ever thought Rosie would be an enhancement for the show.
I am sorry to say that it seems that Rosie is eroding Barbara Walter's image. Enough is enough. It would appear that Donald Trump was right. Rosie possibly IS ugly inside and out.
Good by, Rosie. You are ridiculous.
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16 March 07 - 21:04Politics as Usual
Here is some news. A direct quote from the New York Times.
ATTORNEY GENERAL SEEKS RESIGNATIONS FROM PROSECUTORS - The New York Times - WASHINGTON, March 23 -- [The] Attorney General . . . today demanded the prompt resignation of all United States Attorneys. . .
All 93 United States Attorneys knew they would be asked to step down, since all are . . . holdovers, and 16 have resigned so far. . . .
Four-Year Terms
United States Attorneys are appointed to serve four-year terms at the pleasure of the President. It was unclear whether [The Attorney General] initiated the request for resignations or whether it was pressed on her by the White House. The Attorney General said it was a "joint decision."
[The Attorney General] wanted the resignations "so that the U.S. Attorneys presently in position will know where they stand and that we can begin to build a team." . . .
Wow. I thought it was only a handful getting fired. Congress will really be in an uproar!!!
Wait, not to worry, this is old news.
This was Janet Reno doing this in 1993. She was Clinton's appointee. It created a flap, but this is just the way it is. Please note that the article was plain enough in pointing out that these positions ARE POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS!
What is congress doing? Do they not have anything to do? Perhaps their salaries should be cut since they seem to just be making what we used to call in the teaching profession, BUSY WORK.
Busy work was not good for students and it is worse for us to have our congress making daily work of nothing. Actually worse than nothing, this is crap.
Janet could do it, the positions are political appointments and if the boss doesn't like what you are doing, you are gone.
Are our senators and representatives this needy of things to do to fill their time? Does the news media have nothing else to do but pretend this is news?
Enough crabbing, talk to you later.
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14 March 07 - 00:01Say it ain't so, Rocky
I was reading Sylvestor Stallone getting in trouble with Australian authorities who seized 48 vials of human growth hormone used for bodybuilding after searching his luggage and hotel room. I don't know squat about the drug, but it is called Jintropin and is manufactured and distributed by GeneScience Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd of China.
In order to educate myself regarding the drug I Googled Jintropin to see what I could see. Well, I noted the first three hits were Jintropin dot "com," "org," and "net" with all three promising to send you authentic Jintropin by mail anywhere in the world. Apparently the technology is good since it appears that some fellow named Dr. Lee Jin who was a researcher for the US company Genentech moved to china and "patented" the drug which is made with a process called secretion technology.
You might want to take a look at the Stallone news clips and then take a look at the Jintropin websites as well as the Gensci website. I like the part about how they have secretion technology patented in China so nobody else in China can use that technology. There has got to be something going on there as well.
Anyway, it looks like the critics were right. Stallone can attribute his body style to a bit more than good excercise and diet. Unless you count injected hormones as part of a balanced diet. That is not the amazing part here. The amazing part to me is how easily this drug can apparently be obtained.
If they only sold belly elevating drugs I would buy some. The only thing elevated on me is my blood pressure.
Later
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08 March 07 - 23:43Interesting "Stuff"
What costs $49.95, plugs into a cigarette lighter and makes marguaritas? This Vector 12V Porta-Blend portable blender, that's what. This is a pretty good idea for marguarita lovers. You could even blend up a marguarita while driving down the road, although that might be messy, not to mention illegal. I guess that anywhere there is a cigarette lighter thingy and power in the battery this thing will work. But, it is not the ultimate off (or on road) ice crusher.
You can get your own 12 volt blender from Auto Barn if you want, but what will you do when the battery goes dead out in the boonies and you still need more marguaritas? Well, you simply siphon some gas, fill the gas powered marguarita machine with ingredients, grab the handlebars and rev it up.
This blender is also from Auto Barn, again but it costs a bit more. But, hey! Its on sale! that doesn't mean much as it still costs 3 and a half hundred, but I like the concept of handlebars on a blender. It can help steady a person when they have had a long night drinking marguaritas out in the wild.
Here are the specs on the high cost (and high power) machine.
- Powerful 4-stroke, 23cc gas engine
- Detachable Stainless steel pitcher
- Easy pouring and clean up
- 36in. telescopic legs
- Handlebars with motorcycle-like throttle
- Adjustable speed engine (with aformentioned throttle)
- One (1) quart capacity
Remember, this puppy costs over $350 on sale. Pricey, but I can almost see a use for it. Maybe Marla would like one for a gift. I know she likes Marguaritas....
Jimmy Buffet would be proud to own either one of these. They look tailor made for Marguaritaville.
...Liven' on spongecake... Watchin' the sun bake... Makin' Marguaritas on my brand new gas powered blender......
Later
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07 March 07 - 23:31Assorted Funniness
Direct from Jerry. A funny at the President's expense:
At the morning briefing President Bush was told that three Brazilian soldiers were killed in Iraq the previous day. To everyone's amazement, all of the color ran from his face, then he collapsed onto his desk, head in hands, visibly shaken, almost whimpering. Finally, he composed himself and asked, "Just exactly how many is a brazillion?"And for good measure, some one liners:
1. A day without sunshine is like night.
2. On the other hand, you have 5 different fingers.
3. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
4. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
5. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
6. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in
the trap.
7. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
8. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
9. If you believe in psycho-kinesis raise my hand.
10. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
11. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
12. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
13. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
14. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines
15. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?
16. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, "What the heck
happened?"
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06 March 07 - 08:08Nobel Prizes in Physics
My college major was physics. Since 1901 the Nobel folks have given a prize to a physics dude (or dudette) of the year and I have been checking them out on the web. Specifically I havee been looking at the official site for the prize, Nobelprize.org.
You might know that in 1901 Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the remarkable rays" was awarded the first nobel prize in Physics.
Of course, these remarkable rays were X-rays.
Some interesting related facts, 1) Roentgen refused to patent his discovery, 2) others developed the equipment Roentgen used, 3) X-rays were produced and a film image recorded at the University of Pennsylvania two years earlier than Roentgen's discovery, and 4) Professor Ivan Pulyui published in the Notes of the Austrian Imperial Academy of Sciences 15 years prior to Roentgen as to the nature of invisible light. In fact, it may well have been one of Ivan's tubes that Roentgen was using when he discovered X-rays as Pulyui had presented one of his tubes to Roentgen. For some reason Roentgen got the Nobel Prize as well as the glory. We even have named a unit of radiation exposure after Roentgen.
A year later in 1902 Hendrik Antoon Lorentz received the same award "in recognition of the extraordinary service they rendered by their researches into the influence of magnetism upon radiation phenomena."
I remember Lorentz for his work on an explanation of the Michelson-Morley experiment which was designed to determine the presence of the medium which carried radio waves. To explain what was happening Lorentz described things such as length shortening based on velocity, references to time dilation, and developed all equations required for the definition of special relativity. Of course a fellow by the name of Joseph Larmor had already developed the same equations and a Frenshman by the name of Henri Poincaré actually praised Lorentz for his ideas and labeled Lorentz equations "Lorentz Transformations." it was Poincaré who introduced the modern principle of relativity and was the first to present the Lorentz transformations in their modern symmetrical form. Of course Einstein carried it one step further and pointed out that E=mc2 and pretty much got the glory on the relativity thing. Einstein recieved the Nobel in 1921 for something entirely different than relativity (if you care, it was the explaination of photoelectric effect).
Only two years of prizes and already my head hurts. In fact, if you peek ahead, you will see that the physics prize list reads like a physics who's who. Each year brings a new familiar name.
have to quit. There are too many twists and turns. What a laureat was recognized for and what I recognize them for are often two different things. This Nobel thing is really too complicated for me. Find out for yourself at Nobel Prize Website. Thanks to Sandra for pointing out this web site to me. It has been interesting!
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05 March 07 - 10:10Britney has Trouble
It just keeps getting stranger and stranger. It has become obvious that Britney cannot have a nervous breakdown because she has either already had one or has had something that trumps a nervous breakdown. As you know she has finally checked into rehab and is "sort of" sticking with it this time, however...
Reports are popping up in the news that say she has tried to commit suicide twice. The second time she apparently wrote 666 on her forehead and ranted that she is the antichrist. She is not.
She has, of course, rented an entire wing instead of a room, to keep from having to rub shoulders with others in for treatment. Then there is the apparent news that she wants Kevin back and she also wants another baby. She apparently wants to start growing this baby quickly as she has asked to be able to have "a pass" in order to have a romantic dinner with him. One would think she might not be ready for that just yet.
Actually, I don't understand the ethics or methods of this clinic. It seems opportunistic that they will allow a person who is obviously off their loon to pay them for an entire wing costing hundreds of thousands of dollars instead of the mere usual charge of $45,000 or so for a regular room. Sorta seems like taking advantage, you know? And then, the idea of Britney wanting another baby? Abviously not a well thought out impulse on her part.
What ever happened to getting taken to the looney bin for being crazy and being treated until you were well?" It seems that Britney is very sick and should not be allowed to make decisions involving her money or various other life decisions, such as getting pregnant. Don't they commit people these days so that they can truely be cured and not "check out" on their own? Her condition is not anything like Mel Gibson who recognized his own need for help kicking substance abuse (apparently alcohol) or even people who need an anger management class. She is what a person might truely call "crazy!"
What do I mean by that? I mean she should get the most heavy duty treatment she can get for as long as she needs it. I will be amazed if the Promises Clinic in Malibu is really qualified to treat her. Well, she has 19 days left on the 30 day plan. Perhaps they will pull off a miracle. Lets see what happens.
As for us? We should pray for Britney, she is truely in need of comfort. She must be terrified.
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04 March 07 - 22:24Who do you Trust - With a Twist
A successful rancher died and left everything to his devoted wife. She was determined to keep the ranch, but knew very little about ranching, so she placed an ad in the newspaper for a ranch hand.
Two cowboys applied for the job. One was gay and the other a drunk.
Frankly, she was worried that neither had the stamina for the job. She thought long and hard about it, and when no one else applied she decided to hire the gay guy, figuring it would be safer to have him around the house than the drunk.
The gay cowboy proved to be a hard worker who put in long hours every day and knew a lot about ranching. For weeks the two of them worked hard and the ranch was doing very well.Then one day, the rancher's widow said "You have done a really good job, and the ranch looks great. You should go into town and kick up your heels."
The hired hand readily agreed and went into town on Saturday night.
He returned around 2:30 am, and upon entering the room, he found the rancher's widow sitting by the fireplace with a glass of wine, waiting for him.
The widow quietly called him over to her.
"Unbutton my blouse and take it off," she said.
Trembling, he did as she directed.
"Now take off my boots." He did as she asked, ever so slowly.
"Now take off my socks." He removed each gently and placed them neatly by her boots.
"Now take off my skirt." He slowly unbuttoned it, constantly watching her eyes in the fire light.
"Now take off my bra." Again, with trembling hands did as he was told and dropped it to the floor.
Then she looked at him and said: "Don't you ever wear my clothes to town again!"
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02 March 07 - 08:08What is Polyamorism Anyway?
Tonight I was reading about polyamorism in an AOL headline while thinking of diesel engines (actually biodiesel engines), and simultaneously watching the History Channel. I had noted that some poll says that almost half the people polled think it is OK to be polyamorous and wanted to know what it means. I may never know.
Suddently the History Channel grabbed my attention with Modern Marvels when they started showing information on the COSCO Long Beach. The Long Beach is a huge ship. COSCO stands for China Ocean Shipping Company and there is a whole 'nuther story there about the strength and power of the Chinese economy. The story that fascinated me, however, was the size of the ship's motor and what that motor can do. The motor in the Long Beach is called a Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine. It is not only the world's largest engine, it is the world's most efficient.
This engine is as large as a small office building (90 feet long and 44 feet high). The crankshaft alone weighs 300 tons and there are 14 cylinders.
Because the engine is so powerful it only takes one of these 2300 ton 109,000 horsepower puppies to power a ship. A really big ship. This engine will drive a ship four football fields long (over 400 yards) and over half a football field wide. And it drives the ship at speeds of 25 knots (29 miles per hour). It takes less than 2 weeks to move one of these goliath ships across the ocean from the United States new manufacturing sector known as China.
The largest ship in the water right damn now? The Maersk Line's "Emma Maersk" is that ship. I have included a picture of the ship from the Maersk website which has information on the ship at the Maersk Website. The picture of the engine shows the "balconies" where people are working on the giant engine. You can read about it here at the Wartsila Website. The picture of the ship shows the sheer size when you see the bridge has got to be over ten stories in the air and you learn that it will hold over 13,000 containers.
It takes a ship's company of 3,200 to service an air wing of 2,480 on a Nimitz class aircraft carrier. That's over 5,500 people. If it takes 5,500 people to man an aircraft carrier, how many does it take to run the Emma Maersk? 13 people. That's right, 13 people. The statistics indicate they have room for 35, however. This ship is big. REALLY BIG!
Now I still don't know what polyamorism is.
Perhaps it is a kind of plastic. Later!!
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