Are_grits_groceries
Are_grits_groceries's Journal"And tears don't flow the same in space." The American not on Earth-Astronaut Frank Culbertson 9/11
Astronaut Frank Culbertson Letter from September 11, 2001
Sept 11, 2001
Editor's Note:The following is the text of a letter from Expedition Three Commander Frank L. Culbertson (Captain, USN Retired), reflecting on the events of September 11.
September 12, 2001; 19:34 hours
I haven't written very much about specifics of this mission during the month I've been here, mainly for two reasons: the first being that there has been very little time to do that kind of writing, and secondly because I'm not sure how comfortable I am sharing thoughts I share with family and friends with the rest of the world.
Well, obviously the world changed today. What I say or do is very minor compared to the significance of what happened to our country today when it was attacked by .... by whom? Terrorists is all we know, I guess. Hard to know at whom to direct our anger and fear...
I had just finished a number of tasks this morning, the most time-consuming being the physical exams of all crew members. In a private conversation following that, the flight surgeon told me they were having a very bad day on the ground. I had no idea...
He described the situation to me as best he knew it at ~0900 CDT. I was flabbergasted, then horrified. My first thought was that this wasn't a real conversation, that I was still listening to one of my Tom Clancy tapes. It just didn't seem possible on this scale in our country. I couldn't even imagine the particulars, even before the news of further destruction began coming in.
Vladimir came over pretty quickly, sensing that something very serious was being discussed. I waved Michael into the module as well. They were also amazed and stunned. After we signed off, I tried to explain to Vladimir and Michael as best I could the potential magnitude of this act of terror in downtown Manhattan and at the Pentagon. They clearly understood and were very sympathetic.
I glanced at the World Map on the computer to see where over the world we were and noticed that we were coming southeast out of Canada and would be passing over New England in a few minutes. I zipped around the station until I found a window that would give me a view of NYC and grabbed the nearest camera. It happened to be a video camera, and I was looking south from the window of Michael's cabin.
The smoke seemed to have an odd bloom to it at the base of the column that was streaming south of the city. After reading one of the news articles we just received, I believe we were looking at NY around the time of, or shortly after, the collapse of the second tower. How horrible…
I panned the camera all along the East Coast to the south to see if I could see any other smoke around Washington, or anywhere else, but nothing was visible.
It was pretty difficult to think about work after that, though we had some to do, but on the next orbit we crossed the US further south. All three of us were working one or two cameras to try to get views of New York or Washington. There was haze over Washington, but no specific source could be seen. It all looked incredible from two to three hundred miles away. I can't imagine the tragic scenes on the ground.
Other than the emotional impact of our country being attacked and thousands of our citizens and maybe some friends being killed, the most overwhelming feeling being where I am is one of isolation.
More relections at later times:
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/nasalife/features/sept11_culbertson.html#.UjBpmsu9KK1
A baby boom in Stabyhouns:
She looks every inch the proud mother - but Rikje's pups are no common-or-garden litter.
The 10 new arrivals are the first Stabyhouns to be born in the UK- and have at a stroke doubled the British population of one of the rarest dog breeds in the world.
Before Rikje, 5, gave birth there were just seven Stabyhouns living here.
<snip>
Also known as the Frisian Pointer or Friese Stabij and is classed as a spaniel-type pointer.
Thought to be so rare because it is an all-rounder breed but not an expert at any particular skill and so not as sought-after, Ms Savage said. It is also a relatively new breed, only established officially in 1942.
Has a gentle nature similar to Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Spaniels and Duck Tolling Retrievers.
Described as a ‘national treasure’ in the Netherlands, where the breed originates.
The breed is found in the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, America and most recently in the UK.
The dog is either black and white or brown and white.
Their life expectancy is 13 to 14 years.
To stop inbreeding, associations including The Dutch Association for Stabyhouns and Wetterhouns, keep breeding to a minimum, carefully considering pairings before allowing matings.
Descriptions of the Stabyhoun date back to the early 1800s when it was described as a gundog. It was used to hunt foxes, small game and birds and was known for its mole catching skills.
Traditionally the dogs were owner only by farmers, used for hunting and as guard dogs.
They are becoming increasingly popular in Europe and North America.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2416060/Now-thats-baby-boom-Just-litter-10-rare-Stabyhoun-puppies-DOUBLED-British-population-breed.html#ixzz2eYsW2DNh
Never heard of them before. At least they are careful about inbreeding.
The greatest Superhero you will ever see:
And then I saw this and it made me cry. Send good vibes, wishes, whispers in the wind...
Sigh........
So much courage in such small packages.
Hallelujah! WE WON!
Oh yay! It's all good about Syria!
Kerry/Obama asks Syria to turn over chemical weapons.
Putin steps in and agrees to push this solution.
Syria agrees.
The sun comes out and birds sing.
Meanwhile in the real world, not one weapon has actually moved. (But we just know that Assad & Putin have pure hearts and will keep their word.)
And the Syrian government forces can continue to attack the 'rebels' and kill anybody that gets in their way which seems to be anything that moves in front of them.
The rebels will continue to fight the government and each other. They also will kill anybody that they think is in their way. If they have some kind of chemical weapons, which is not out of the question, who cares?
Syrians are still getting killed right and left or they are displaced into refugee camps.
But WE WON!
Nobody won anything. This is not an effing game with a scoreboard.
EVERYBODY HAS LOST!
The Syrians are literally losing everything.
The nations of the world have lost credibility by huffing and puffing about conventions and laws. Meanwhile they ignore their own complicity in letting all types of weapons loose.
People have apparently lost their minds declaring some kind of victory in the face of the abject horror still on display.
BUT WE WON!
Think about it.
Then think about the Syrian people. They are the only ones who matter, and the only thing they may have won is one less way to die.
George Zimmerman taken into custody after incident with gun, police say
George Zimmerman has been taken into custody in Central Florida after an incident involving a gun with another person.
Lake Mary police say they were called to a house on Sprucewood Road Monday afternoon after a report that Zimmerman was involved in an altercation with another person with a threat involved.
No other details were immediately available.
The fight comes days after Shellie Zimmerman filed for divorce and discussed her relationship with George Zimmerman on a TV interview. Since being acquitted, George Zimmerman has been pulled over twice for speeding.
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/george-zimmerman-taken-into-custody-after-incident-with-gun-police-say/-/1637132/21851424/-/tlxm3oz/-/index.html
Just a matter of time.....
If you believe that Syria is going to put
all of their chemical weapons under international control, I have swamps and bridges for sale priced just for you.
Assad is up to no good along with Putin.
We will happily go along with this to save face and declare everything all good. It's international hijinks at the highest levels.
Lawd! Teh animalz is out of control: Drunk feral pig in altercation with a cow
A rampage by a feral pig that consumed 18 beers has prompted warnings for people at campsites to properly secure their food and alcohol. The pig struck at the DeGrey River rest area, east of the remote Western Australian town of Port Hedland in the Pilbara, according to the ABC.
The animal was seen stealing three six-packs of beer from campers before ransacking rubbish bags for food.
One camper reported seeing the pig guzzling the beer before getting involved in an altercation with a cow.
"In the middle of the night these people camping opposite us heard a noise, so they got their torch out and shone it on the pig and there he was, scrunching away at their cans," said the visitor, who estimated that the pig had consumed 18 beers.
"Then he went and raided all the rubbish bags. There were some other people camped right on the river and they saw him being chased around their vehicle by a cow." The pig was reportedly last seen resting under a tree, possibly nursing a hangover.
Feral pigs are considered an invasive pest in many parts of Australia owing to the diseases they carry, which can infect livestock. They also damage crops and compete with native species for food. Several state government advise people to report sightings of feral pigs so they can be removed. The feeding of the animals is also discouraged.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/09/swigging-pig-hogs-18-beers
They are ruining the youth of teh animal world. Moose, elk and now feral pigs?!
I wouldn't be able to walk after 18 beers.
(Feral pigs are a real problem in SC. They are dangerous nuisances much like the state GOPeas.)
The Child Exchange: Americans use the Internet to abandon children adopted from overseas
(This is a 5 part investigative series by Reuters. Parts 1 and 2 have been published today. It is long, sickening and eye-opening. When we as a country can't even try to stop this, why in the world do we spend obscene amounts of money on items that are really frivolous compared to this.
This is without question one of the worst stories I have ever read. I can't unread it, and I wouldn't if I could. I will add it to other horrors about kids that I can't forget. I write and do what I can. I wish I could do much more, and I wish that I could believe that anything is really being done.)
When a Liberian girl proves too much for her parents, they advertise her online and give her to a couple they’ve never met. Days later, she goes missing.
KIEL, Wisconsin – Todd and Melissa Puchalla struggled for more than two years to raise Quita, the troubled teenager they'd adopted from Liberia. When they decided to give her up, they found new parents to take her in less than two days – by posting an ad on the Internet.
Nicole and Calvin Eason, an Illinois couple in their 30s, saw the ad and a picture of the smiling 16-year-old. They were eager to take Quita, even though the ad warned that she had been diagnosed with severe health and behavioral problems. In emails, Nicole Eason assured Melissa Puchalla that she could handle the girl.
"People that are around me think I am awesome with kids," Eason wrote.
<snip>
In an interview earlier this year, Nicole Eason - the woman who disappeared with Quita - referred to private re-homing as "non-legalized adoption."
"The meaning of non-legalized is, 'Hey, can I have your baby?'" Eason said.
She discussed why she was so motivated to be a mother. "It makes me feel important," she said.
And she described her parenting style this way: "Dude, just be a little mean, OK? … I'll threaten to throw a knife at your ass, I will. I'll chase you with a hose.
"I won't leave burns on you. I won't leave marks on you. I'm not going to send you with bruises to school," she said. "Make sure you got three meals a day, make sure you have a place to live, OK? If you need medication for your psychological problems, I've got you there. You need therapy? You need a hug? You need a kiss? Somebody to tickle with you? I got you. OK? But this world is not meant to be perfect. And I just don't understand why people think it is."
The story of the Easons and the girls and boys they have taken through re-homing illustrates the many ways in which the U.S. government fails to protect children of adoptions gone awry. It shows how virtually anyone determined to get a child can do so with ease, and how children brought to America can be abruptly discarded and recycled.
<snip>
http://www.reuters.com/investigates/adoption/#article/part1
Nicole Eason should be locked away FOREVER!
Profile Information
Gender: Do not displayHometown: SC
Member since: Tue Oct 7, 2008, 07:35 PM
Number of posts: 17,111
