Global Hawk

This is a photo of the Global Hawk UAV that recently returned from the war zone under it's own power.(Iraq to Edward's AFB in CA) - Not transported via C5 or C17.  It has performed over 250 missions.  That's a long way for a remotely piloted aircraft.  Think of the technology as well as the required quality of the data link to fly it remotely from a source thousands of miles away..

Not only that, but the pilot controls it from a nice warm control panel at Edwards AFB, CA.  It can stay up for almost 2 days at altitudes above 60k.

The Global Hawk is controlled via satellite.  It flew missions that went from Edwards AFB and back nonstop.

Basically, they come into the fight at a high mach 3 using military thrust power, fire their AMRAAMS, and no one ever sees them or paints with radar.  There is practically no radio chatter because all the guys in the flight are tied together electronically  and can see who is targeting who, and they have AWACS (Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems) direct input, as well as 360 degree situational awareness from that and other sensors.

The enemy had a definite morale problem before it was all over. It is to air superiority what the jet engine was to aviation. It can taxi out, take off, fly a mission, return, land and taxi back on its own.  There are no blackouts, pilot fatigue, relief tubes, ejection seats, and best of all, no dead pilots, and no POWs...

I'm gratefrul to my friend Stan in England for sending me this.

Pacific Crest Trail

I ran into an old friend the other day.  Her ambition she told me was to hike the Pacific Crest Trail next year.  Probably starting in April, which seems to be the optimum month for this.  She's thirty something and so this mammoth task should be well within her fitness range.  The PCT is 2,663 miles long and runs from the border with Mexico right up through the Sierras through Oregon and Washington state to the Canadian border.  It's estimated that about 300 people start this hike every year but only about 180 finish it.  The object is to camp for three or four days and then perhaps rest up in a motel off the Trail, and attend to matters like replenishing food and a visit to an ATM.  The route passes along Big Bear Lake to the north of us.  With an aimed 20 miles a day, one has to put aside six months to complete the journey.  Enough time to allow for problems.  I would dearly like to do it myself, but I wonder if the lower joints would hold up.  Perhaps a large quantity of Aleve and definitely a good pair of boots.

Video - LandFillarmonic

I'm grateful to my friend Don in Orange County for this interesting and uplifting video of underprivileged children and their instruments. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=UJrSUHK9Luw

Right Track - Troubles

The administration does seem to have some problems at the moment.  Benghazi, the IRS, and the raid on the AP's phone records have all alerted an otherwise supportive media.  As usual, and this is the same with all political parties, the immediate reaction is to circle the wagons, but as history has shown us, the truth will come out eventually.  The main problem seems that perhaps more so than any other this administration has created a kind of "group think."  It's not necessary for the top guys to give out orders, the entire organisation is in lock step ideologically.  It reminds me of the event that occured on December 29th, 1170.  That was the day that four knights arrived in Canterbury Cathedral after King Henry II had said: "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest!"  He didn't have to give the order, but Thomas A'Becket was dead as soon as the knights arrived.

Tirade - Carbon Emmission

I've often wondered why scientists don't tell us how much carbon is sent up into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions.  Could it be that it interferes with their global warming theories.  I'm grateful to my friend Kevin for this insight from a Professor Ian Plimer.

Okay, here's the bombshell.  The volcanic eruption in Iceland, since its first spewing of volcanic ash has, in just FOUR DAYS, NEGATED EVERY SINGLE EFFORT you have made in the past five years to control CO₂emissions on our planet - all of you. 

Of course you know about this evil carbon dioxide that we are trying to suppress - it’s that vital chemical compound that every plant requires to live and grow and to synthesize into oxygen for us humans and all animal life. 

I know, it's very disheartening to realize that all of the carbon emission savings you have accomplished while suffering the inconvenience and expense of: driving Prius hybrids, buying fabric grocery bags, sitting up till midnight to finish your kid's "The Green Revolution" science project, throwing out all of your non-green cleaning supplies, using only two squares of toilet paper, putting a brick in your toilet tank reservoir, selling your SUV and speedboat, vacationing at home instead of abroad, nearly getting hit every day on your bicycle, replacing all of your 50 cents light bulbs with $10.00 light bulbs ...well, all of those things you have done have all gone down the tubes in just four days.
The volcanic ash emitted into the Earth's atmosphere in just four days - yes - FOUR DAYS ONLY by that volcano in Iceland, has totally erased every single effort you have made to reduce the evil beast, carbon.  And there are around 200 active volcanoes on the planet spewing out this crud at any one time - EVERY DAY. 

I don't really want to rain on your parade too much, but I should mention that when the volcano Mt Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, it spewed out more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than the entire human race had emitted in all its years on earth.  Yes folks, Mt Pinatubo was active for over one year - think about it. 

Of course I shouldn't spoil this touchy-feely tree-hugging moment and mention the effect of solar and cosmic activity and the well-recognized 800-year global heating and cooling cycle, which keep happening, despite our completely insignificant efforts to affect climate change. 

And I do wish I had a silver lining to this volcanic ash cloud but the fact of the matter is that the bush fire season across the western USA and Australia this year alone will negate your efforts to reduce carbon in our world for the next two to three years.  And it happens every year.
Just remember that your government just tried to impose a whopping carbon tax on you on the basis of the bogus “human-caused” climate change scenario. 

Hey, isn’t it interesting how they don’t mention “Global Warming” any more, but just“Climate Change” - you know why?  It’s because the planet has COOLED by 0.7 degrees in the past century and these global warming bull artists got caught with their pants down. 

And just keep in mind that you might yet have an Emissions Trading Scheme - that whopping new tax - imposed on you, that will achieve absolutely nothing except make you poorer.  It won’t stop any volcanoes from erupting, that’s for sure.

But hey, relax, give the world a hug and have a nice day!

Music Track - Dudley

When I was 21, I lived in Southampton, Hampshire.  Our local TV station was Southern Television and late at night, when I used to keep late hours, they would often have the Dudley Moore Trio on.  This was long before he became an international celebratory.  He was an outstanding musician and had won an organ scholarship to Oxford.  Here he is with a short music video from 1965. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnYmGEC4OCs

Birthday!

I suppose some sort of celebration is in order as yesterday was the third anniversary of the start of this blog.  Hard to realize that there have been 1134 separate posts since I began this on June 11, 2010.  I have Al Quizon to blame for it all as he suggested during one of our podcast recordings for The Sun that I did it.  I had no idea it would still be going three years later.  Well, on to the fourth, I guess!

Snow Flowers

A couple of years ago I posted a picture of these odd flowers.  I didn't know at the time what they were called, but found out later they were Snow Flowers Sarcodes sanguinea.  The live close to fir trees as they take nourishment from the roots of the trees.  In fact they are somewhat parasitical.  On our walk the other day we saw this collection of 18 of them. Normally you only see them in ones and two, but this must be some sort of record. No leaves, or branches, just these fleshy red flowers,  Very different.

Video - Giraffes having fun.

I'm grateful to my friend Kevin for this fun video. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=uFxnBrO9n7o
As he said in his email to me: "What did we do before we had computers?"

Sunday's Column - Palm Springs Art



Dave McGary's "Walk Among the Stars"

When I went down to Palm Springs to research the piece for this Sunday's article, it reached a balmy 85 degrees.  Today it's much higher and well over 100.  The new museum in Palm Desert has been open now for just over a year and already has received 20,000 visitors.  I didn't look at any of the art inside the building, as I spent all my time walking around the outside sculpture garden, which has some very interesting pieces.  You can read the entire article at http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_23421119/palm-springs-art-museum-has-new-riches

Right Track - IRS

If anything shows up the corruption of big government, it's this latest IRS scandal.  Now can anybody imagine the furor if it was George W. Bush's administration in charge of things and if the audits and delaying tactics were being perpetrated on Move On, and other leftists?  There would have been a special prosecutor on the case immediately.  Huckabee interviewed a woman who had applied for tax free status and as a result was investigated 17 times, by a variety of federal agencies, including Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.  Her "crime" was forming a small group to make sure that elections were fair and that dead people were removed from the electoral rolls.  Serious stuff!  The result of this intimidation by a supposedly bias-free agency is that many such groups could not make the contribution to the 2012 election that they had hoped.  Can anyone say disenfranchisement.  I'm sure Jesse Jackson can say it.  But I doubt he would.

Trevor's Tirade - Table Manners

I was appalled the other day when I saw a newsclip showing a dining table full of graduating students from a prestigious university being taught table manners.  At this late stage in their life, what had they been doing before?  Eating out of a trough?  The university charges around $50,000 a year to teach them their preferred subjects so they obviously had parents with some money.  However I was sitting at the bar the other day -  for the more sensitive readers this rarely happens!! - and there was a 50-year old quite respectable woman next to me.  She ordered some food and when it arrived complete with knife and fork all wrapped up in a paper napkin (Incidentally the correct word for such an item is a serviette, but we won't split hairs here.)  After the first mouthful she used the napkin and then threw it down between us on the bar top.  Not a pleasant image as her rather messy meal progressed.  Now the rule for the very few of you who do not know, or who did not have a tartar of a father red hot on such matters, is any napkin should never appear above the table unless it is used briefly to dab the lips, and then replaced upon the lap!  This is not tough stuff to figure out!  Come on People!

Music Track - Dick Barton

Now you have to be really old to remember this.  It's the theme music from Dick Barton; Special Agent.  It used to run for fifteen minutes every weekday evening at 6:45 on the BBC.  The nation was riveted to its set to hear the latest episode of the special agent and his two henchmen, Jock and Snowy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2eqX93umXo

Male Bird's had enough

I was sent this picture by my friend Keith in the desert.  I shows a male bird who's had enough....

It made me laugh!