tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21263310233834026512024-03-17T13:35:21.187-07:00Bitchin' Dave’s BlogA place to host my various endeavors, and throw out some random thoughts from time-to-timeDisney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.comBlogger786125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-73130955999427612362024-03-12T07:45:00.000-07:002024-03-12T07:45:49.845-07:00Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter - Mar 12<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Another year, another time change. For some reason, we're still hung up changing the time twice a year. And though we voted in Florida to stay on Daylight Savings Time .... 6 years ago! ... we're still doing the same business. Because it takes a literal act of congress to officially make this permanent. And they're much too busy with the mishegas of the day to have a straight up/down vote that might take 5 minutes.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">By the way, its more complicated, because the suggested legislation leaves it open to the states to decide what to do, but proposes Savings Time should be the year-round answer. And of course, there's a group lobbying for it to be Standard Time. Which leads some legislators to urge "more study" before committing to something.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It never made any sense to have the time change, and its history is very suspect. But here we are. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">On the bright side, there are very few clocks to physically change, and other than having a moment here and there where you feel out of synch a little (which lasts for a few days), it really doesn't make much of a difference, really.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Back in late February, a satellite that has been in space since 1995 fell back to Earth. It was not at all unexpected, as the satellite had served it purpose, and the owning European agency had done any preparations they could to reduce the risks.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And they had even predicted the trajectory and location, though their time estimates were off by about 2 hours. It supposedly "burned up on re-entry" but there are questions about that, and no one can verify what happened, since it fell into the pacific ocean.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Still, the risk is very real with all the junk we have floating above our planet. At some point, a satellite may re-enter Earth's atmosphere and stay largely intact, and could pose a threat somewhere. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">There needs to be more of an effort to plan for end of life for these space objects, more effort in understanding and predicting when/where they will return, and naturally finding a means to clean up more of it before it becomes a problem.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.space.com/ers-2-satellite-crash-space-junk-wakeup-call">https://www.space.com/ers-2-satellite-crash-space-junk-wakeup-call</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Climate change has a direct impact on everyday life. In the attached story, TV host and food blogger Andrew Zimmern talks about why there was a $24 bill at Five Guys that went viral.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
Essentially, there are water shortages, there are fires and floods, there are other climate factors that have affected the cattle population. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And that is in addition to crops being similarly impacted, increasing prices on tomatoes and other produce. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Its a good read; he lays it out well and shares some insights. When reading it, think about the in the context of climate change. It really does affect us all.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">[Please note that the site this article appears on is a conservative news outlet. While I found it interesting, there are linked articles, other content on the page, and comments that belie the nature of this particular piece] </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://komonews.com/amp/news/nation-world/andrew-zimmern-explains-why-your-five-guys-order-is-24-bizarre-foods-travel-channel-beef-prices-anti-trust-inventory-cattle-texas-fire-tomatoes-labor-rights-wages-benefits-addiction-low-costs-chicken-ukraine-russia-grain-oil-fast-food">https://komonews.com/amp/news/nation-world/andrew-zimmern-explains-why-your-five-guys-order-is-24-bizarre-foods-travel-channel-beef-prices-anti-trust-inventory-cattle-texas-fire-tomatoes-labor-rights-wages-benefits-addiction-low-costs-chicken-ukraine-russia-grain-oil-fast-food</a></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is an interesting article that talks about Disney being "woke" but notes that Disney has essentially always been that way, and has changed perceptions by using their ability to tell stories, specifically regarding the environment.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I would argue that its even more profound. Walt Disney himself had an outstanding ability to unite people and bring about some changes (both in reality and in our way of thinking). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You can call it whatever name you want, but Disney has always been a kind of bellwether. The company can change perceptions, typically for the better.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://time.com/6693810/disney-environmental-films-woke/">https://time.com/6693810/disney-environmental-films-woke/</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This story is sad in so many ways, but still highly amusing.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
In short, a vegan storefront purchased donuts from a local baker. They were supposed to be gluten free and vegan. They tested them, and they were neither. And some of them had a frosting with a trademarked "D" from Dunkin.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Apparently, this bakery was passing off Dunkin donuts as their own, and mislabeling them to boot.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is the world we live in...</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.delish.com/food-news/a60113389/vegan-baker-selling-dunkin-donuts/">https://www.delish.com/food-news/a60113389/vegan-baker-selling-dunkin-donuts/</a></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here is my take on Moon Landings: <a href="https://youtu.be/a9GdCy-4DWY?si=7mSvsHVn-HWfHnur">https://youtu.be/a9GdCy-4DWY?si=7mSvsHVn-HWfHnur</a></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The United States effectively eradicated measles as a disease in the late 20th century. And yet, thanks to foolish people, and even more foolish (and misguided) people in positions of power who guide in-DUH-viduals, we have seen measles outbreaks occur throughout the US in recent years.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">A few weeks ago, we had an outbreak at an elementary school here in South Florida. But here's the oddity of it all: the state, and the local school board, <i>require that all students have a signed health form which includes a requirement that they have had the MMR vaccine</i>. And yet, apparently they (and many other students) didn't fill in the required forms to attend the school. The school responded by essentially saying and doing nothing - though they did offered free MMR vaccines to students and their families.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The problem here actually lies with the state, and in particular the surgeon general who appears to have graduated from medical school, but who is decidedly anti-vaxx and sees this not as a public health problem, but rather an indication that people are "listening" and not vaccinating. Somehow this is twisted to being good, and the state tacitly accepts waivers from those pesky health requirements - just don't turn them in! </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is a problem that will (sadly) only grow over time. People listen to their crazy uncle, and eschew actual science. And some of those people get into positions of power and cause harm to us all.</span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-34326516517999680112024-03-05T12:02:00.000-08:002024-03-05T12:02:44.962-08:00Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter - Mar 5<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I find it odd that while the rest of the world makes every effort to go cashless and increase the adoption and usage of credit card, the United States continues to make using credit cards harder. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Retail establishments are offering a lower price for cash (or debit cards, which have shockingly little security on them). Legislation has been introduced at the federal level to limit how much credit issuers can charge and to move to a single network (depending on who runs it, the rate charged can be different). </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And as a result, credit card companies, facing lower fees (and profits) are starting to tighten the perks and benefits of having a card, or plan to charge you more in order to take advantage of these benefits. In other words, the value proposition to you as a consumer gets worse as a result of these changes.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Throw in there bolder moves - like a possible merger between Capital one and Discover - and you have a less competitive market place that will drive consumers to <i>want </i>to use cash to make a transaction, or to simply write a check for larger transactions - which isn't exactly cashless.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I recently stumbled onto a site that accesses NORADs tracking database and allows you to see all of the objects in space.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Head over to <a href="https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=25544">https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=25544 </a>(I have it set to show the ISS), and play around. Its kind of fun.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">A couple of scientists posited that a "Quantum Drive" could be used to provide a sort of thrust to maneuver objects in space. The science behind it is a little "sketchy" and it relies on mathematics rather than mechanics to operate. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">According to these scientists, this would upend physics, because it defies some of the basics laws that we use to define the universe. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nevertheless, these scientists created what they thought would be a prototype and launched it late in 2023. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">...It was called "Dud in space" because it didn't power on, and then contact was lost.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So for the moment, the idea of a quantum drive remains entirely theoretical.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/contact-lost-spacecraft-quantum-drive">https://futurism.com/the-byte/contact-lost-spacecraft-quantum-drive </a></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">On the proxy war: Nelson Peltz put a 130 page(!) whitepaper, documenting specifically what he thinks needs to change at Disney, and how he can help.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Out of curiosity, I flipped through it, and while he makes a few good points, it sure reads like someone with an axe to grind.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He refers to it as a manifesto, and I think I'd agree. While I appreciate that <i>some </i>change is needed, I think the biggest problem is at the top, specific to the CEO. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hopefully, he gets the message and plans an actual succession plan. And steps aside in the very near future.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://restorethemagic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Disney-Trian-White-Paper-2024.pdf">https://restorethemagic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Disney-Trian-White-Paper-2024.pdf</a> </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">American football has a system for measuring a 10-yard distance to obtain a first down that is a chain between two poles. Teams have four plays to do so. When the ball passes the poll that's 10 yards down the field, its a new set of 4 plays.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here we are in the 21st century, and when its close to the marker, they bring the chains and poles on the field and measure to see if they got the yardage - sometimes absurdly, like putting a card between pole and where they arbitrarily spotted the ball.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The NFL has been playing around with an optical system to replace it. And during this past season, they tested it out - with a good deal of success. And they "may" want to use it in the future. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But its apparently too costly to upgrade all the stadiums and make it work for later this year, so they're hopeful it can be in a few years. A billion dollar organization can't find a way to implement technology they have already tested? That's funny.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There's also some discussion about the people who hold these poles. They might be out of work! Except, they are people hired by the stadium to make a small sum to just watch the game from the sidelines, and hold up a pole. So yeah, about that....</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Still, I was glad to hear they were considering a new bit of technology to keep up with the times. </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In light of the science news noted above, I present to you two short videos of my dad talking about another means of providing thrust that is much more practical: gyrsocopic propulsion</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://youtu.be/aYa0iX-eWKg?si=uShRP5BIiTeY7tJ_">https://youtu.be/aYa0iX-eWKg?si=uShRP5BIiTeY7tJ_</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a class="style-scope ytcp-video-info" href="https://youtu.be/b9rR-_Hc3Cg" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-size: 15px; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: nowrap;" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/b9rR-_Hc3Cg</a></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I can never understand why (among a few issues) we can't have a rational and intelligent conversation about abortion. Sure, its a thorny issue. But pull away the politics, and pull away the religious aspects, and maybe we can discuss the base questions. Of course, we can't seem to do that, and then we conflate "family planning" and contraception into the issue and we're making it sort of an all or nothing proposition.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Then there's legislation, like what appeared in Alabama. They have essentially redefined an embryo as a child. One of the justices reviewing the case absurdly invoked god in his ruling. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And the legislation's fallout led to the inevitable "law of unintended consequences."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">First, there was a petition filed with the court that posits that if embryos are children, and children are eligible in the state for healthcare, then mothers need to be provided with prenatal healthcare by the state, without any exceptions or restrictions.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And more importantly, in IVF sometimes the embryos are "wasted" for various reasons, are not viable, or do not produce children. Under the law, if anyone is involved in the loss of embryos, they will have committed a felony. So the answer for hospitals was to simply stop any and all in-vitro fertilization.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This enraged certain people who <i>only</i> wanted to stop abortion, but still intended to help women who are unable to conceive. But alas, the law they wrote has consequences.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So would anyone like to have an honest discussion now?</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-83017969189154508572024-02-27T07:12:00.000-08:002024-02-27T07:15:06.800-08:00Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter - Feb 27<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I recently re-watched <i>The Spanish Prisoner, </i>Steve Martin's foray into the non-comedy world (from 1997). It was as good as I remember it; well done with a fair amount of intrigue - even if the protagonist gets reeled in kind of stupidly. In summary, a guy gets caught up in an earlier version of the Nigerian Prince scam with Martin in the con artist role, and it turns out no one is who they seem to be.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But that's just the thing. There are stories nearly every day about people getting reeled in by elaborate (and sometimes exceedingly simple) schemes, with the end result of someone taking the persons money because there's just enough believability, and often the person wanted to believe in it.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Its a lesson and a reminder to all of us. When someone comes to you with an offer, or even a veiled threat with an offer to help, think about whether its right - and pay attention to that little voice inside your head that is asking questions.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The movie also has some subtext about work. Guy invents something that will make a lot of money. His boss won't talk with him about a bonus until "after a board meeting" and then they want him to sign some new agreement to protect THEMSELVES. And it turns out his boss was behind the theft in the first place.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">While exaggerated, this is the nature of office politics to a large degree. You work hard, and rarely get a reward, and then some higher up gets the credit and you're left to fend for yourself. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">NASA contracted with a private company to put a lander on the moon. Intuitive Machines launched their Odysseus lunar lander (via SpaceX) about a week ago, and the craft touched down last Thursday evening.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was a tense period of time, as they lost contact with the lander, and the control room was collectively holding its breath. But then, they received a radio signal and knew everything was going well.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But....it wasn't perfect; the craft tipped over and they've had to realign the antennas to communicate with the craft and it will still take some time to retrieve data. And they may not be able to keep the craft fully powered for a long time.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Even so, its an exciting time as the United States has returned to the moon for the first time in 50 years. And its the first time a private company has made a successful landing. </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">There's a saying that we know more about the surface of the moon, than we know about our own oceans.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Recently, that proved true once again, as a team of scientists exploring a section of the Pacific Ocean, near-ish to Chile, discovered underwater mountains that are between a mile and a mile and half tall (as measured from the ocean floor).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Imagine if we understood more about our oceans. Maybe we could have a better feeling for how to work against climate change. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">By the way, among other things, its expected that these mountains will contain a significant amount of life, which we can further study and explore. That may prove to be most interesting.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-baffled-mountains-ocean">https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-baffled-mountains-ocean</a></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">For many years, Disney owned tourism and generally owned Central Florida. And then in the late 1980s, along came Universal Studios to challenge them. I recall a higher up at Disney telling me they welcome the competition, because it will keep Disney on its game.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And here we are 30+ years later, and the "battle" is perhaps a little more even. Universal opened a second themepark, and a water park, and announced a third themepark. They've managed to poach Imagineers, and have created a less-immersive but fun environment that parkgoers seem to enjoy.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
Recently, some travel blog rated Disney World as the worst value among themeparks (based on cost vs what you get), in spite of the parks still having good attendance. In general, Disney doesn't like news like that, so I'm sure they're taking notes.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And in the end, don't ever count Disney out. They are planning for a massive park expansion, and to enhance on the guest experience. And their aim is to retain the crown as THE destination, while actively working to change the perception.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">How this plays out with an ongoing proxy war, battles with the state, some of the nonsense around the district in which they reside, and generally with the cost of doing business will prove interesting.</span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The astronauts headed to the moon on Apollo 11 faced enormous dangers, and it was uncertain whether they would complete the mission. At very many points before we saw their rescue in the ocean, there were places where they might have died.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">President Nixon was well aware of such a possibility, and had written an epitaph for the astronauts, in case he needed to let a nation know that they were heroes who gave their lives in the pursuit of exploration. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But I just learned something new: the astronauts made plans for their families' futures in the event of them not making it home. Obviously, life insurance was not something they could get, so they turned to memorabilia. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They autographed pictures of themselves while they waited in quarantine before their mission, and mailed them to their families. The intent was that their wives and children could sell these pictures of the heroes to support themselves. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That's crazy, and a little wild. And thankfully was never needed, though a few have been sold over the years.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://historyfacts.com/science-industry/fact/the-apollo-11-astronauts-signed-autographs-as-life-insurance-policies/">https://historyfacts.com/science-industry/fact/the-apollo-11-astronauts-signed-autographs-as-life-insurance-policies/</a> </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is the story about the Columbia space shuttle disaster. <a href="https://youtu.be/z2DJR063YEI?si=saVAmGl9ysmbrlDp">https://youtu.be/z2DJR063YEI?si=saVAmGl9ysmbrlDp</a></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is a story about Ed Dwight, who nearly was the first black man in space - if he had been selected among the first group of astronauts in the 1960s.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But sadly, while Kennedy had wanted Dwight to be part of the story, when Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, that dream died along with him, and Dwight was excluded. And it would be another two decades before a black man would go into space. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Chuck Yaeger years later said that Dwight "wasn't good enough," which perhaps could be true (though probably not), but we'll never really know if that's accurate or a fanciful account to ignore the racist overtones (it likely was).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In any event the story is interesting, and you can. read more here - or watch an historical account called "Space Race" on Disney+. Its really quite good.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-space-race-ed-dwight-9e87955f10331a2c32ecab6ca033a4af">https://apnews.com/article/nasa-space-race-ed-dwight-9e87955f10331a2c32ecab6ca033a4af</a> </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-19228851135287702072024-02-20T06:25:00.000-08:002024-02-20T06:25:27.027-08:00Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter - Feb 20<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The streaming world remains enormously complex, with way too many options, and prices ranging from next to nothing to fairly expensive on a monthly basis, for maybe a few things you might want to watch. And with the ability to stop and start at will, its hard for companies to make profits or adequately forecast for the future.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I've heard people talk about the "Bundling of unbundled services" to try and help. Mostly, its theoretical as companies want their own profit margins and don't want to revenue share, in particular.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Except in the world of Sports. There's a partnership happening between ESPN, Fox, a few regional players, and Warner Brothers (TNT, etc) to provide a pretty comprehensive package of everything EXCEPT for what's on Paramount/CBS and Peacock/NBC. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But here's the rub. This package might cost north of $50 per month. In which case, you would be better off getting nearly all of that content, plus live channels, and some additional content (on demand movies for example) by subscribing to YouTube TV for about $70 per month.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And there's another factor that can't be simply dismissed: there is opposition. You have the DOJ looking at this as perhaps anti-competitive, and they may stop it. And the NFL is upset that they weren't alerted to this in advance; each of the major players in this service has NFL broadcast rights, and the fear is that this partnership may all generate additional revenue, without the NFL getting a cut.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The BBC recently produced a documentary about the NASA failures that led to the Space Shuttle Columbia burning up on re-entry.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It's a retrospective that reminds us what happened and how - but adds a more human touch by interviewing the families of the astronauts, and talking with NASA personnel that continue to carry guilt about what transpired.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The thing that hit home for me was that the NASA engineers never took the threat of missing heat tiles seriously, in spite of the inherent danger, and the fact that some tiles had gone missing before and caused some (non-catastrophic) damage to the vehicle. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">To me, its personal. I was on a NASA funded project in graduate school - a project that examined heat tile replacement, and safety protocols. Our team found risks, and suggested that the damage <i>could be </i>catastrophic even though to this point, the program had been lucky. We suggested remedies, for which the NASA engineers thanked us. But these suggestions were ultimately ignored, dismissed, and in one case, literally thrown out. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Even though I did everything I could as a grad student, I carry a little of the guilt, too. And I sometimes think about the people who actually replaced the tiles, and how their lives were impacted.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Oh and by the way, something that I also think about is how Richard Feynman saw much of this same thing when he joined the team that looked at the Challenger disaster a decade before I worked there. You can read more of those details in the second link</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13060311/The-inside-story-Columbia-disaster-2003-astronaut-new-BBC-documentary-Space-Shuttle-Fell-Earth-revisits-space-tragedy.html">https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001tts2/the-space-shuttle-that-fell-to-earth</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://lithub.com/how-legendary-physicist-richard-feynman-helped-crack-the-case-on-the-challenger-disaster/">https://lithub.com/how-legendary-physicist-richard-feynman-helped-crack-the-case-on-the-challenger-disaster/</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here's a cool story about a 16 year old who created something to help the visually impaired. When I first read it, I started thinking about Geordi LaForge, who was in Star Trek the Next Generation. He had a visor that gave him sight in the 24th century land of science fiction.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But this application is different. Here, Tiffani Gay has created a device that essentially uses haptic feedback to let the user know when they are near something. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I love seeing young people who create something to change the world!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.clickorlando.com/podcasts/2024/01/29/orlando-teen-invents-device-with-potential-to-help-22-billion-people/">https://www.clickorlando.com/podcasts/2024/01/29/orlando-teen-invents-device-with-potential-to-help-22-billion-people/</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In general, Disney has been a good neighbor in the state of Florida. Taxes are collected, Disney does some philanthropy, promotes volunteerism, and tends toward environmental consciousness. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Of course, they are a large corporation, and they have somewhat selfish motivations at times. But at least they make an effort.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Recently, they announced they would be setting aside 80 acres of land to build 1,400 units of affordable housing. And just this week, they were granted zoning approval and construction will begin shortly. This will not be a Disney branded enterprise; but vacant land on the west side of the property that Disney owns will be used. It will be built and operated by a company with more experience in this area. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">There's no question that outward appearances aside, this will benefit them on two fronts: there was an economic incentive offered by the state to create housing, and it provides some low cost housing which would be convenient for people who choose to work at the theme parks. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Still, I take it as a net positive outcome. Affordable housing is hard to come by in Florida for very many reasons, so this is a step in a good direction. </span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was reading the attached article about Chief White Calf, the model for the Native American head that served as the Washington Redskins logo for many years.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To set the context, this article did appear originally in Fox News, so you have to take some of what they mention with a large amount of salt. (hint: they focus on cancel culture)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That said, I certainly will concede that losing Chief White Calf to history - the man, not the mascot - is rather a shame. We should celebrate those who were here when the Europeans arrived and remember who they were and how they lived.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But the thing that they completely and totally missed on is <i>why</i> the football owner decided to part ways with the image: money. The Supreme Court ruled that they did not have control over the likeness, and therefore the team couldn't protect its logo via copyright. And that meant that anyone could (and for a short time many did) create unofficial merchandise and sell it - and the team had no recourse.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The logical thing to do was come up with a new copyrighted logo that they could then profit from. This was not about anything else. And fans petitioning the new owner for the name to revert to "Redskins" simply will not happen, for that reason.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/canceled-tribal-chief-white-calf-091527373.html">https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/canceled-tribal-chief-white-calf-091527373.html </a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here is the history of the phrase "I'm going to Disney World" <a href="https://youtu.be/hMvm6ljIy9I?si=vDUxyWm9csdrrs20">https://youtu.be/hMvm6ljIy9I?si=vDUxyWm9csdrrs20</a></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I find it disheartening that as a society we’ve started normalizing gun violence. Its been 6 years since the attack on a school here in Florida, and little has changed. If anything, gun regulations have been loosened, or have been brought into question.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And in the past week, there was a shooting at a mega Church in Texas - where parishioners said they felt safe up until then, and couldn't imagine a shooting happening there. And there was another shooting at a superbowl victory parade - where people simply gathered to celebrate and have fun. Children who went to enjoy a moment were wounded.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Its well past time to actually do something, rather than just hiding behind the 2nd Amendment. If you read in its entirety, you realize it has some limitations:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c4587; font-family: arial; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #202124; white-space-collapse: collapse;">"</span><span style="color: #040c28; white-space-collapse: collapse;">A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."</span></span></p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Surely it is open to some interpretation, and maybe we can have an honest discussion about what it says, its intention, and the "Oxford Comma."</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It certainly seems to me that "well regulated" could mean licensed federally, and there is absolutely no need for high powered, high capacity weapons of war in regular people's hands. </span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-1866043353547268082024-02-13T08:24:00.000-08:002024-02-13T08:24:36.766-08:00Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter - Feb 13<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There was a big event over the weekend that you might have heard about: Taylor Swift performed a concert in Tokyo and then jetted back to Las Vegas to see her boyfriend. And all the hype around that was absolutely hilarious. There were were people breathlessly following it. There were proposition wagers put out by the casinos (would she make it? how many times would she be shown? what would she wear? And on and on). And of course there were a few people who saw it as some sort of political conspiracy.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was just amused by how entertainment and football overlapped to such a large degree. And then I found out that the entire game would be simulcast on Nickelodeon and would feature Spongebob and Patrick - talk about entertainment and sports crossovers! I watched it. It was delightful, and honestly, much better than watching the game on your typical broadcast. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You can check out the hilights here, put out by the NFL, no less. <a href="https://youtu.be/PuYNuxBiEKw?si=BRASKbqJcYM6nFHO">https://youtu.be/PuYNuxBiEKw?si=BRASKbqJcYM6nFHO</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And as to the game, one team won, and the other lost, because that's how it works. But it was close and exciting down the stretch. And spoiler alert! Taylor's boyfriend was on the winning end.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">SpaceX has had a lot of success in launching space craft. And they are close to having success with Starship - which will allow for bigger payloads to be sent into higher orbits (or deeper space).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Department of Defense has taken notice, and is considering its own options for the future. A little history may be helpful here: the DoD has operations it carries out on Earth and in space that have some national security implications. For Earth-bound missions, they have some planes that they own and fly, and they have contracts with some flight operators to lease planes on an as-needed basis.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">For space, to this point, they have used existing rockets (most of which were holdovers from the cold war), and are currently considering options for the next generation. What they would like to do is to contract with SpaceX to launch their rockets, but in some cases - when there is a mission with some sensitivity - to "take over" the operation and launch the rockets themselves.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">That's an unusual use case that I'm sure SpaceX is willing to consider.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/space/spacex-dod-has-requested-taking-over-starship-individual-missions">https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/space/spacex-dod-has-requested-taking-over-starship-individual-missions</a></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">While he was busy conquering the world, Napoleon was thoughtful about how he could improve life in France. He often brought scientists with him to newly conquered regions to understand the area and see what he could bring back.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the case of Egypt, his intent was to see if he could make the water from the Nile drinkable, and how to make some advancements with foods. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But, as the story notes, Napoleon returned to France and left some troops and these scientists in Egypt. And that's when the scientists did what scientists do. They studied the natural world and pieced together a history of the people that once lived there.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">As a result of Napoleon's actions, these were the first archaeologists, and really that is how archaeology became a thing. Its kind of remarkable. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/napoleon-stranded-egypt-savants-birth-modern-archaeology-science?amp">https://www.businessinsider.com/napoleon-stranded-egypt-savants-birth-modern-archaeology-science?amp</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A week or so ago, Disney announced the date for their annual shareholder meeting (to be held on April 3) - and they said it would be virtual. Surely a strategic move to further limit the Peltz bid for board seats.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Then late last week, Disney released their latest earnings report and it was good. It exceeded the estimates, so Iger remains hopeful that he can make this somehow work out in his favor.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Disney also scored two wins that bolster their bottom line. They bought a controlling stake in Epic Gaming (they make Fortnight), and they got the Taylor Swift Eras Tour streaming rights (so she'll be on Disney+ starting in March). Both of these moves do show additional progress in making course corrections.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But of course there's still the matter of succession planning. No word on where that stands at this point other than for Disney to make a comment that they have several candidates, which is utterly meaningless.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A funny thing happened in the MLS (US pro soccer). Lionel Messi (maybe the best player of all time) signed with InterMiami at the midway point last season. He was fun to watch, but wound up getting injured and missed most of the end of the season.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This offseason, as a means to try and further promote the league, Miami signed a few of Messi's former teammates and went on a multi-country exhibition tour.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The team didn't fare well against the local teams, and Messi got injured along the way (again), appearing briefly against Al Nassr, where Ronaldo didn't suit up at all (so much for that hyped matchup with another great player). And Messi only played "off the bench" near the end of games in several, and not at all in one game.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And that one game in Hong Kong has China complaining because ticket prices were high, and people travelled from far away, to see the world's best soccer player (Messi of course). They claimed all manner of things including false advertising. There was also a little matter of hurt feelings over cancelled games in mainland China.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In any event, ultimately fans got partial refunds.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now we head into his first full MLS season. I think its clear that Messi won't start every game - and may play sparingly in some games, or not at all in others. Which will upset people who paid top dollar just to see him. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This phenomena is very strange, indeed. And I think it reminds us that the MLS is not quite ready for primetime, and fans are only interested in seeing that one player.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I'm talking about the prospect of Elon Musk making $50 billion dollars from Tesla</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://youtu.be/gK7csVhq-ho?si=NQCVQ1P6joaUnxwV">https://youtu.be/gK7csVhq-ho?si=NQCVQ1P6joaUnxwV</a></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The end of the Civil War in the United States may have officially ended slavery. But, there were a number of new problems that came as a result, and we weren't quite ready to address them. Among the questions were: What happens to the newly liberated people? How can they become productive members of society? And what should the plantation owners do to remain profitable without "free" labor?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Of course, there were suggestions about granting land to the emancipated population, or Lincoln's thoughtful but misguided idea to send people to somewhere in Africa where they could be educated and later brought back to integrate into society. But those didn't happen. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Land owners worked hard to maintain control through low wage jobs, indentured servitude, and (with the help of the criminal justice system) forcing prisoners to work the crops as laborers, for free. Small crimes among blacks and other immigrants could be harshly punished to ensure a supply of labor.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mostly, this practice died out over the ensuing 150+ years. Or did it? The Associated Press followed inmates-made-to-be-day laborers, and it would seem this practice is (very sadly) still in use today. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://apnews.com/article/prison-to-plate-inmate-labor-investigation-c6f0eb4747963283316e494eadf08c4e">https://apnews.com/article/prison-to-plate-inmate-labor-investigation-c6f0eb4747963283316e494eadf08c4e</a></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-57586325761341878612024-02-06T06:05:00.000-08:002024-02-06T06:05:48.587-08:00Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - Feb 6<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Blue Springs State Park in the central part of Florida is a beautiful, natural wonder that offers various water activities in the summer. But in the winter, its a warm, natural spring that attracts manatees. The manatee population was on the decline for some years (due to climate issues, and poor behavior by humans!). But the numbers have been increasing over the last few years (thanks in large part to getting boaters to be more mindful).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At the park, they count the manatees every morning as a part of the conservation effort. And this weekend, they recorded the highest number of manatees ever - 973. They were very excited, and it caught some national attention as well.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You can read more here:<a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nearly-1000-manatees-converge-florida-state-park-record-breaking-sighting-180983683/"> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nearly-1000-manatees-converge-florida-state-park-record-breaking-sighting-180983683/</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The park also offers a wildlife kayaking tour around the river, with a stop near the manatee protected area. We took it last year, and I had a delightful interaction with a young manatee. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVObpI9Lk6awEYpmVGEYbkl402dcg5b-sj41dXSdghTC20vACYTnzR-4JrfSziXcVCLk5Pe2M8aklnKUptGiCA-hGLpXgvq6fvFyqEsN1wi5tRHKyBuduSUN4V3orer9X3iL1vlfogftVSgWdGa0JuzvGR3SMg2ApwhvJ8WdTw4x-qSXIc8DxC2gbfOX8=s800" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVObpI9Lk6awEYpmVGEYbkl402dcg5b-sj41dXSdghTC20vACYTnzR-4JrfSziXcVCLk5Pe2M8aklnKUptGiCA-hGLpXgvq6fvFyqEsN1wi5tRHKyBuduSUN4V3orer9X3iL1vlfogftVSgWdGa0JuzvGR3SMg2ApwhvJ8WdTw4x-qSXIc8DxC2gbfOX8=w126-h94" width="126" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIANYprmKyB3B0rSLs6Sxk8wAYrgRNYfvnsADWGUmCPkBidfywaGAlO-WSgab_9T1-34Pdy0IWC52K1VRLXwaQpSTpzKPuPXPKIu7Dlt6GClprhQ4yXfbxErpk_ZpGlQN24M9iyLHKETcSImLX78bAn0vWolcaQuaIXnROWyzCt5pfTslGaVgDB9-FDl4=s320" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIANYprmKyB3B0rSLs6Sxk8wAYrgRNYfvnsADWGUmCPkBidfywaGAlO-WSgab_9T1-34Pdy0IWC52K1VRLXwaQpSTpzKPuPXPKIu7Dlt6GClprhQ4yXfbxErpk_ZpGlQN24M9iyLHKETcSImLX78bAn0vWolcaQuaIXnROWyzCt5pfTslGaVgDB9-FDl4=w82-h109" width="82" /></a><br /><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Methane is a key contributor to trapping heat, and leading to climate change. Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have come up with a way to use the spectrometer on the ISS (and a few other satellites) to "see" methane emissions in real time, which they then share.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In some cases, countries can use the data to help them pinpoint areas that need some help. And in other cases, the pressure comes from an international coalition. But in any case, we have an ability to see where methane emissions are high.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It's amazing how we can use technology to help address climate change. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NASA_EMIT_Tehran_Iran_August_2022.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="800" height="104" src="https://i0.wp.com/spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NASA_EMIT_Tehran_Iran_August_2022.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Image from Tehran in 2022</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://spacenews.com/satellites-reveal-sources-of-atmospheric-methane/">https://spacenews.com/satellites-reveal-sources-of-atmospheric-methane/</a></span><p></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Cool story out of Philadelphia about a deaf boy who was given a gene treatment, via an injection of a virus. The gene allowed for the body to correct for an abnormal gene that affected his ability to hear.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Its an interesting starting point for potential gene therapy in the future, though at the moment this is one specific person with a very specific issue. But the possibilities are really intriguing! </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/breakthrough-deaf-boy-can-hear-after-first-gene-treatment-in-us">https://www.sciencealert.com/breakthrough-deaf-boy-can-hear-after-first-gene-treatment-in-us</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was reflecting on a flawed idea that Disney had a little over a decade ago to play with attendance a little. They offered a free Disney day on your birthday. What a fantastic guest promotion!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The concept was that you would go to the gate on your birthday and show ID, and they would grant you free admission on that day. On paper, it was great.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But in reality, maybe not so much. They had hoped more people would book vacations around their birthday and bring their families. The thinking was that there would be more paid days than they gave away.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">There were three main problems: First, you couldn't book it in advance, so people had to do some planning to take advantage of it. How that worked related to purchasing a length of stay ticket was very unclear, and caused a lot of confusion and dissatisfaction. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Second, locals were the main beneficiaries of the program since they could easily just go over on their birthday. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And third, it was unannounced that there were a limited number of these admissions available <i>for the entire year,</i> so they ran out of the free tickets in about March. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And so the promotion was short lived, and caused a lot of dissatisfaction for anyone with a birthday anytime after the first few months. At that time, a day pass was probably around $50, so I still can't figure out why they made this so difficult.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But yet, this is a mostly forgotten footnote in history. That's how good Disney is at manipulating things that happen to their advantage.</span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here's an interesting story about the quest to find Amelia Earhart's long-missing plane. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Short primer: Earhart was to be the first woman to fly around the world, in the late 1930s. She apparently got lost in the Pacific near the Howland Islands (between Australia and Hawaii), and there has been much speculation about what happened to her, her navigator, and her plane in the 80 years since. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hobbyists and even some professional organizations have searched but come up empty - but have a lot of speculation. And now a former aviator has found something on a sonar trip around the area that very well <i>could be</i> Earhart's Lockheed plane. It will take some time for him - or someone else - to pass over the area again to see if they can gather more details about the craft that's there. It could be another lower-profile missing plane, or perhaps a WWII craft that was sunk. But its definitely intriguing, and we may be close to solving the mystery.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sonar-image-pilot-amelia-earhart-plane-found-pacific-ocean-2024?amp">https://www.businessinsider.com/sonar-image-pilot-amelia-earhart-plane-found-pacific-ocean-2024?amp</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I'm talking about the Polynesian Resort Hotel at Walt Disney World. Its got its own little story to tell.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://youtu.be/jZ7wOQKhLes?si=gEgap45yJQr_UQBm">https://youtu.be/jZ7wOQKhLes?si=gEgap45yJQr_UQBm</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Recently, I was getting quotes to paint my house. One guy came out and was pretty chatty. He had a lot to say about many topics. But the one that caught my interest was that hails from a third world country and sees the United States as a "third world country with first world infrastructure" - he went on to tick the boxes for how to define a third world country, and I think he kind of summed it up well.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I've stated in the past that the US really doesn't fit the definition of a first world country and should probably have a new category like "fourth world" or something.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But specific to his comments, the income disparity came to mind. We hear stories every day about people struggling just to get by. People work two jobs and maybe can make ends meet. But certainly, they can't grow wealth, can't hope to reach some sort of financial independence.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And yet, we are on the verge of creating the worlds first TRILLIONAIRE. And at the moment, we've got around 750 Billionaires.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Meanwhile 53% of the US population (~180 million people) have less than $10,000 saved, and 15% have between $10k and $50k (that's ~50 million people).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Something is wrong with the system in that case. And of course, people we consider minorities are disproportionately represented in what we might consider the "poor population."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-63241765398482008692024-02-06T05:40:00.001-08:002024-02-06T05:40:45.185-08:00Manatees!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVObpI9Lk6awEYpmVGEYbkl402dcg5b-sj41dXSdghTC20vACYTnzR-4JrfSziXcVCLk5Pe2M8aklnKUptGiCA-hGLpXgvq6fvFyqEsN1wi5tRHKyBuduSUN4V3orer9X3iL1vlfogftVSgWdGa0JuzvGR3SMg2ApwhvJ8WdTw4x-qSXIc8DxC2gbfOX8"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVObpI9Lk6awEYpmVGEYbkl402dcg5b-sj41dXSdghTC20vACYTnzR-4JrfSziXcVCLk5Pe2M8aklnKUptGiCA-hGLpXgvq6fvFyqEsN1wi5tRHKyBuduSUN4V3orer9X3iL1vlfogftVSgWdGa0JuzvGR3SMg2ApwhvJ8WdTw4x-qSXIc8DxC2gbfOX8=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7332483476412391298" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIANYprmKyB3B0rSLs6Sxk8wAYrgRNYfvnsADWGUmCPkBidfywaGAlO-WSgab_9T1-34Pdy0IWC52K1VRLXwaQpSTpzKPuPXPKIu7Dlt6GClprhQ4yXfbxErpk_ZpGlQN24M9iyLHKETcSImLX78bAn0vWolcaQuaIXnROWyzCt5pfTslGaVgDB9-FDl4"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIANYprmKyB3B0rSLs6Sxk8wAYrgRNYfvnsADWGUmCPkBidfywaGAlO-WSgab_9T1-34Pdy0IWC52K1VRLXwaQpSTpzKPuPXPKIu7Dlt6GClprhQ4yXfbxErpk_ZpGlQN24M9iyLHKETcSImLX78bAn0vWolcaQuaIXnROWyzCt5pfTslGaVgDB9-FDl4=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7332483485316885474" /></a></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-73423847415332724782024-02-02T12:37:00.000-08:002024-02-02T13:41:53.231-08:00Maybe the ad placement isn’t quite right. But it’s funny. <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1iNc_h7IcNWGfxNgPCxm8Vq88Eo7LVJlsTtowENlGy3LLN6XddhjrJz2boGvYErMq5-mODKDuDO72uGl6rdHfiUdskaaJ0rRCubvvGMiQvmKfr0-KkNcLx7eyWhGbhz2umu4ysnBeDeklW8CarTQsqA0kf1RP4Sox9qDoMiUHKsWyYebU2yuAO1KSEL0"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1iNc_h7IcNWGfxNgPCxm8Vq88Eo7LVJlsTtowENlGy3LLN6XddhjrJz2boGvYErMq5-mODKDuDO72uGl6rdHfiUdskaaJ0rRCubvvGMiQvmKfr0-KkNcLx7eyWhGbhz2umu4ysnBeDeklW8CarTQsqA0kf1RP4Sox9qDoMiUHKsWyYebU2yuAO1KSEL0=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7331106695207817106" /></a></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-11659720138171045362024-01-30T08:15:00.000-08:002024-01-30T08:15:57.328-08:00Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter - Jan 30<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I couldn't help but notice the headlines on two consecutive Sundays in the local newspaper. The first was the state of Florida turned down around $11 billion dollars in federal aid, related to climate change and energy usage. The legislature and governor cited "REASONS!" as their rationale, but we all know it was political theater and nothing more. 49 other states gladly accepted money from the feds for these same things.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The second week was a headline that Florida is around $5 billion short in the budget. And as a result, they're going to have to start making cuts around the state. What's the first thing that was mentioned as seeing budget cuts? Give yourself an A+ if you guessed the public education system.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I mean, if people aren't educated enough to see that 11 is bigger than 5, and the amount would cover the budget shortfall and then some, then maybe our education system is failing anyway.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our understanding of the universe is based on what we've been able to observe to this point, along with some "educated guesses" based on those observations.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sometimes that leads to competing theories, or questions about what we'</span></span><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">re seeing. And recently, the James Webb space telescope solved one such mystery.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The thinking was that gasses would block our ability to see the hydrogen atoms from the formation of galaxies. But, using the Hubble telescope, we could see light coming in from some of these galaxies and it made no sense. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It turns out that many smaller galaxies are merging (or more correctly HAVE merged) and the light is coming from those collisions - the JWST was able to distinguish the faint light and make this clear.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">“One of the most puzzling issues that previous observations presented was the detection of light from hydrogen atoms in the very early Universe, which should have been entirely blocked by the pristine neutral gas that was formed after the Big-Bang. Many hypotheses have previously been suggested to explain the great escape of this ‘inexplicable’ emission.”</em><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">“Where Hubble was seeing only a large galaxy, Webb sees a cluster of smaller interacting galaxies, and this revelation has had a huge impact on our understanding of the unexpected hydrogen</em><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-size: 13px;"> </span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">emission from some of the first galaxies.”</em></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://esawebb.org/news/weic2402/">https://esawebb.org/news/weic2402/</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There are some very cool scientific breakthroughs that are more "fun" than "necessity" but which move the needle in scientific discovery and can lead to other breakthroughs that may be purpose-driven.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One example is something called a "holo tile" which allows someone to walk in any direction on a treadmill floor, and have it interact with the surroundings. Its an amazing advancement, and leads us to think about the "Holodeck" that was presented in Star Trek.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But the deeper story is about the man who created it, Disney Imagineer Lanny Smoot. He also created the retractable lightsaber and the floating head in the Haunted Mansion, among others. He has more than 100 patents and was recently inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">His name <i>should be</i> as instantly recognizable as any athlete or self-involved person you see on tv.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.disneytouristblog.com/inventor-imagineer-first-since-walt-disney-to-enter-hall-of-fame/">https://www.disneytouristblog.com/inventor-imagineer-first-since-walt-disney-to-enter-hall-of-fame/</a> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://gizmodo.com/vr-breakthough-holotile-disney-imagineering-lanny-smoot-1851178431">https://gizmodo.com/vr-breakthough-holotile-disney-imagineering-lanny-smoot-1851178431</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There was a story over the holidays about a family that planned a vacation to Disney World. The grandparents of the family went into a local retailer and purchased $10,000 of Disney gift cards.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Only to find out that they had purchased Disney+ gift cards, and not Disney generic gift cards. Oops! Why companies do this is beyond me - you're part of the same company, why not use universal gift cards, duh!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The family panicked for a time - until a Disney Cast Member came to their rescue and transferred the money to Disney cards. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And as an end to the story, they booked their vacation, and then burned up the now-empty Disney+ gift cards in a bonfire on social media.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We're in the midst of another "living" example of how climate changes impacts our everyday life.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Panama Canal is going through a significant drought, which has been linked to a change in the climate. And as such, the number of ships that are able to get through on any given day is down to about half of its daily average.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">
That means ships are lining up, waiting to get through. And as a result, there are delays in delivering goods - and the cost of the goods will wind up increasing. Its a new version of a supply chain problem, if you will.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I'm sure that there will be some that will attempt to shift blame, to make this political or perhaps twist it for their own gain. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But as thinking and rational people, we can see that there is more happening to our climate that does impact our daily lives.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://jalopnik.com/a-270-billion-shipping-traffic-jam-threatens-to-snarl-1851171800">https://jalopnik.com/a-270-billion-shipping-traffic-jam-threatens-to-snarl-1851171800</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Dealing with the cold using a rechargeable battery had consequences. I talk about that, and conduct a small test where I freeze a AA battery to see how the energy works in it. <a href="https://youtu.be/ye3HW8MeTnY?si=6f8DCYun2YrL1iKU">https://youtu.be/ye3HW8MeTnY?si=6f8DCYun2YrL1iKU</a></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">70 or so years ago, Ray Bradbury wrote about the banning of books, in a fictional novel called Fahrenheit 451.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And here we are today, with books being banned in the most absurd way possible, not unlike how he penned it happening in fiction. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We've seen historical accounts, and books related to social issues removed for spurious reasons. But with that comes the very real prospect of "collateral damage" in the banning of religious books, books by conservative talk show host / authors, Sherlock Holmes stories, Agatha Christie novels, authors talking about the locality they live in, and even (gasp!) the dictionary being removed from shelves.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It's a crazy world we live in. For now at least, the fact that its banned at school or in a library doesn't make as big of an impact, because much of the world's best (and worst!) works are available through book sellers in physical copies, or online (sometimes even for free). So you can still read these banned books and free your own mind.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">More info on book bans here: <a href="https://pen.org/issue/book-bans/">https://pen.org/issue/book-bans/</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And of course, you can read <a href="https://jghsenglish.edublogs.org/files/2015/02/Fahrenheit-451.pdf">Fahrenheit 451</a><br /></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>
<p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-25596710200541190652024-01-23T08:38:00.000-08:002024-01-23T08:38:31.138-08:00Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter - Jan 23<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The NFL is experimenting with new ideas to extend their reach, and of course make more money. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">They’ve reached critical mass on ticket prices, coming in at an average price per ticket at just under $400, not including parking or concessions (which are also exorbitant). </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It can be fun, but it’s out of reach for the average fan. </span></span><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">The owners know this and try and make it more experiential, and to make it worthwhile. (Even though on occasion, there is death by a fan at the hands of other fans. Come and enjoy a game; there's a 99% chance you'll make it home!)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">International expansion is a real thing, and the league played a fair number of games in England, and Europe. And had a team stay over for a few weeks to see how a "home team" might fare in games against traveling opponents.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The money for broadcasting is through the roof, and the league experimented with putting a playoff game on a paid streaming service (After previously having regular season games be available that way). They announced it as a success, and I'm sure we'll be seeing more of that in the future.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You may also note that officiating was "suspect" throughout the year, which brought more eyeballs and more discussion about what was happening - and though its a fine line, it may have tweaked viewership a bit. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Owners change uniform styles periodically to goose merchandise sales and keep it fresh. And owners also fire coaches fairly regularly, to show that they are trying to be competitive. The average coaching tenure is just over 4 years, and in any given year 25% of the teams are looking for a new head coach. You have to keep your fan base engaged to stay relevant. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Last week, there was news about the Peregrine moon lander (the first planned moon mission for the US in 50 years) suffering an anomaly with its propulsion system. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Scientists at Astrobotic and NASA conferred and agreed that there was a faulty valve in a hydraulic system that caused a fuel leak. Sadly, they decided they couldn't land on the moon, and instead used the craft's momentum to crash land back on Earth - falling well short of the missions goals. But they did get some amount of data, and as they say "failure is always an option" because it provides opportunities to learn.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While they were unsuccessful, the next day, Japan became the 5th nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon (the US, Russia, China, and India are the others). Even though there were issues with powering up the solar array, this is an exciting development for continued exploration.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The anti-science positions that many people take are breathtaking at times. Here's a story about Wisconsin, Texas, and Florida (of course!) banning (or proposing a ban) on studying pathogen origins. They also note that the US Congress also has a bill that would do the same, nationwide (though its less likely it will make it to a law).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">At the heart of it is this notion that Cocvid19 was started from a lab leak, where Chinese scientists created the virus. They don't want that to happen here!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But these bans would also halt any studies into other things, like, say, the common cold or the seasonal flu. Oh the "law of unintended consequences!"</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/wisconsin-bill-restrict-pathogen-studies-worries-scientists" style="font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://www.science.org/content/article/wisconsin-bill-restrict-pathogen-studies-worries-scientists</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Disney's proxy fight is heating up! Nelson Peltz is using his shares, Ike Perlmutter's shares, and his Triad's company shares, to try and force himself and former Disney CFO Jay Rasulo onto the board of directors, by replacing two current members.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As I've noted before, Peltz feels the Disney company is not focused enough on profitability, and has issues with Bob Iger in his second stint as CEO (and naturally is concerned about succession planning).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He wants to see a change in the company's </span><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">direction, and once again sees an opportunity to take on the challenge.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Disney may have enough shares (ie, votes) to prevent this from happening, but it remains to be seen how this will play out.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Personally, I thought Jay Rasulo leaving the company was a shame - he really did understand how it all worked, and might have been in line to be CEO at some point.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I own a VERY small stake in the company (like 20 shares worth), but when the company asks how I'd like to use my vote, I certainly will consider Peltz's proposal.</span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here's a story about how Germany has taken measures to reduce its emissions, and this has them at their lowest level since the 1950s. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While there is much work still to be done, they are well on the path to helping reduce climate impacts, and investing in renewables - also putting them on a path to energy independence. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Its a good news story in a rising sea of bad climate impacts. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://cleantechnica.com/2024/01/04/germany-reports-lowest-emissions-in-70-years-but-thats-not-the-end-of-the-story/?ref=sparkofgenius.org">https://cleantechnica.com/2024/01/04/germany-reports-lowest-emissions-in-70-years-but-thats-not-the-end-of-the-story/</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This week, I'm talking about switches on the Walt Disney World monorail system. <a href="https://youtu.be/9YO9LnUN2hQ?si=NA0WyLumKDdTIYbJ">https://youtu.be/9YO9LnUN2hQ?si=NA0WyLumKDdTIYbJ</a></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The attached story is about a man who spent 44 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. </span><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While the settlement he reached is "nice," it does not make up for what happened to him. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In summary, a "prominent white woman" was raped, and there was an outright effort to convict a black man - any black man - for the crime. The person that was convicted did not match the description the victim provided, the fingerprints didn't match, the outcome of the rape kit was in question. And there were many other issues.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And yet, he spent half of his life in jail for a crime that he had no part in. A crime which in many cases allows a white man to walk free, in spite of overwhelming evidence that does match. (ahem) </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Food for thought about society.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/01/09/north-carolina-ronnie-long-settlement-wrongful-conviction/72167918007/">USA Today story about wrongful conviction</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-38397052982397929122024-01-23T08:19:00.001-08:002024-01-23T08:19:40.812-08:00They're epically bad.<div dir="ltr">The Dolphins now become the team with the longest playoff drought in the NFL. Their last playoff win came in 2000. Since then, nada. They haven't been to an AFC Championship game since 1992. And last went to a Superbowl in 1984.<div><br></div><div>Some pundit noted that Mahomes has made 16 playoff starts (#17 is this weekend), and has been to all 7 AFC Championships while with the Chiefs.</div><div><br></div><div>Which reminds me to note that the Dolphins - in year 4 - are still trying to decide if Tua is any good. Take a look at the best QBs in the league, Mahomes included. Their success came early and often.</div><div><br></div><div>Anyway to the Dolphins all time playoff records:</div><div> <p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">Their heyday:</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">1970<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>0 - 1</p> <p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">1971<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>2 - 1</p> <p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">1972<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>3 - 0</p> <p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">1973<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>3 - 0</p> <p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">1974<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>0 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">The lean times:</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">1978<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>0 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">1979. 0 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">1981<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>0 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">1982<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>3 - 1 (okay maybe not so lean)</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">The Marino era:</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"> </p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">1983<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>0 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">1984<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>2 - 1<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">1985<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>1 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">1990<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>1 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">1992<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>1 - 1<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"> </p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">1994<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>1 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">1995<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>0 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">1997<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>0 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">1998<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>1 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"> </p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">1999<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>1 - 1 (that drubbing in Jacksonville in Marino's last game)</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">Post Marino:</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"> </p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">2000<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>1 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">2001<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>0 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">2008<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>0 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">2016<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>0 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font:12px Helvetica">2022<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>0 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"> </p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">2023<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>0 - 1</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">That makes the Dolphins 20 - 23 all time. Yikes.</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica">They won two championships, so that means they've made the playoffs 25 times, and bounced in them 23 times.</p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"><br></p><p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-feature-settings:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"><br></p></div></div> Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-10050824535473669832024-01-16T12:05:00.000-08:002024-01-16T12:05:38.175-08:00Bitchin Dave’s newsletter - Jan 16<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I know its cliche after a few weeks, but Happy New Year! </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We keep hearing about how companies can self regulate and how things will just magically work out if we take away the burdensome rules and let the free market do its thing. But I remind you that in his 1981 Inaugural address Ronald Reagan said "In this times of crisis, the free market is not the solution to every problem, often it <i>is</i> the problem." We should always remember that as we think about how to "fix" a problem, especially here in Florida. I can't even begin to list the dumb ideas I'm hearing to supposedly help Floridians.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There was some serious space launch shuffling at year end, at Kennedy Space Center. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The critical factor was a Falcon Heavy launch which got delayed due to a technical issue; it carried the space plane, and was identified as highest priority.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So everything else had to wait. But we finally did see the Falcon Heavy go up just before the new year - and then the Vulcan Peregrine moon lander went up just after the new year.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We have no idea what happened with the space plane, as the mission is classified. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The lunar lander developed a problem with its hydraulics, and for a time it seemed the engineers might find a work around. But so far, no luck, and they think they will have to abandon the actual landing, and instead study the moon from orbit. Stay tuned.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Somber news to report: 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded. This was reported by many agencies here in the US, in the EU, and beyond.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">People who continue to deny that the climate is changing need look no farther than some of the destructive, monster storms which plagued travel over the holidays (and continue to do so).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We, as individuals, need to do whatever we can and let our voices be heard. This clearly is not sustainable, and we can't just simply let things continue in the status quo. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-2023-hottest-year-record ">https://climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-2023-hottest-year-record </a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-weight: bolder; white-space-collapse: collapse;">Copernicus </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; white-space-collapse: collapse;">is the Earth observation component of the European Union’s Space programme, looking at our planet and its environment to benefit all European citizens. It offers information services that draw from </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-weight: bolder; white-space-collapse: collapse;">satellite Earth Observation and in-situ (non-space) data.</span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-weight: bolder; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/sites/default/files/custom-uploads/Global%20Climate%20Highlights%202023/fig1_GCH2023_PR_timeseries_global_surface_temperature_increase_above_preindustrial.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="113" src="https://climate.copernicus.eu/sites/default/files/custom-uploads/Global%20Climate%20Highlights%202023/fig1_GCH2023_PR_timeseries_global_surface_temperature_increase_above_preindustrial.png" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></div><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></span><p></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135);">Disney World made a big deal about “doing away with theme park reservations” as of January 1st (if you are not in the know, post-pandemic, anyone who visited a theme park needed to buy a ticket AND have a valid reservation for the specific theme park they wanted to visit). </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135);"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135); color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">While people gushed over it, to a large degree it’s kind of semantics. Disney now uses historical information, predictive modeling, and some other types of reservations to determine theme park attendance, and then can adjust staffing accordingly, or limit admission.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135); color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135);">These other reservations include </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135); color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">making dining reservations or “lightning lane” reservations (ie a guest books specific attractions in advance) months before they arrive. These would be specific to a theme park, thus helping them figure out where you will be.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135); color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135); color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">Also, when someone purchases a day or multi-day ticket, it is based on the park(s) they will be visiting. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135); color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135); color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">The wildcard element in all of this, though, are pass holders. T</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135); color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">hese guests have somewhat erratic behavior and "can visit as many times as they want."</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135); color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135); color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">So for now, they have been told they will continue to need a reservation for most days - unless it’s a forecasted not-busy day, in which case they can just show up; but they still have to check the reservation system. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135); color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135); color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">I have no doubt that Disney will solve the pass holder conundrum soon. But for now it’s just a little more complicated. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135);"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135);">In summary, I absolutely love how Disney uses data to understand much about guest behavior and how things work. And also understands how to use the right words to make it seem like they are changing something. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135);"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135);">So yeah they’re getting rid of the reservations. Sort of. And replacing them with good data. </span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Right before New Years, there was an utterly ridiculous thing that happened which started trending on social media as #MiamiMall. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here's the story: there was a large police presence near an outdoor shopping area known as Bayside (not Miami Mall). People realized this was unusual and rushed to a conclusion that what was going on was.....</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">...Aliens! As in ET. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And then took it to an even higher level of absurdity by claiming it was a government conspiracy, and maybe actually happened a half dozen years ago. And to add to the fun, there was a grainy video that shows the police confronting a 7 foot tall alien.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The video itself can be easily explained due to the low light and distance. The police presence was in response to an altercation and reports of gunfire at Bayside (the city of Miami has a heightened response when potential terrorist activities are reported). It did NOT happen "years ago with the video just coming to light." People in the area were reporting information in real-time, illustrating how far from the truth that was.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I have heard the FBI did arrive on the scene, as it was a potential terrorist activity - but they didn't take control or whatever nonsense was spewed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It’s kind of amazing that an absurd story took off on social media like wildfire, with people wanting to believe something. And they ran with it for many days. (And it appeared in the news as recently as this past weekend!)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But its also a cautionary tale of how destructive social media can be. And how we can get sucked into some weird conspiracy theory. This particular incident is more funny than anything. But we should always be on guard against these types of stories. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Be careful what you read - and if it doesn't pass the "sniff test" maybe it requires a little more research and thought before choosing to continue to propagate the tall tale. </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here's the latest on Tesla software and a fun sound I added to my car. <a href="https://youtu.be/Po8GdYL66iI?si=0WHXx-XMLkgL1838">https://youtu.be/Po8GdYL66iI?si=0WHXx-XMLkgL1838</a></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was watching a random episode of the TV show cops the other day. Said cops pulled up next to a black guy. They tell him that they want to "have a conversation" with him. From the viewer's perspective, there was no reason to stop him.
The kid was scared and ran, and that led to an obligatory police chase. They caught him and handcuffed him. They narrate for us about him fleeing and therefore must have done something, and he had a lot of money on him. It'</span><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">s a bad neighborhood - it's a place for drugs. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The police don't find any drugs on him, so they head out to literally beat the bushes to find some. Of course, they do find a bag of weed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The policeman appears a little excited and says something to the effect of "This ought to be enough to put him in jail for a long time based on his prior convictions." (keep in mind that WE don't know anything about these convictions or how the officer knows this).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">
They talk to the kid and they say things like "You know if you hadn't run this never would've happened. We would've just talked to you for a minute. You made it worse for yourself because you were fleeing the police." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He argues the drugs aren't his, but they clap back and say he ran, and its an abandoned apartment complex. They must be yours!
As they continued, the rhetoric sounded more and more like any story where a black individual is harassed by the all white police force. They were speaking to him in a confrontational way, trying to get a reaction, or to railroad him in some way.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Its certainly possible there was more to the story that got edited out. And context may matter. But it was easy to see that this wasn't quite right.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The reality is this poor guy had to stand there and take it from police. They gave him a false choice, of either "not running" and being accosted, or running and hoping for the best.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Based on how he carried himself, one might assume he won't be able to afford a lawyer. He might very well plead guilty and wind up spending time in jail, continuing this sad cycle. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The tones. The language. The subtle intimidation. The whole thing about Black Lives Matter was just encapsulated in those few minutes of TV.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But remember that we are capable of being better than this. And we should strive to be. </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-88203384749885512242024-01-15T16:51:00.001-08:002024-01-15T16:51:45.600-08:00A followup to the after game conversation.<div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="auto">Turns out that my joke about maybe Mahomes telling Tua that "maybe one day you'll be good enough to play at the pro level" was closer to the truth than we might have guessed. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Apparently Tua asked for Mahomes' jersey and Patrick said no. How sad and embarrassing. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">And just hilarious. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><div style="display: block;" class=""><div style="-webkit-user-select: all; -webkit-user-drag: element; display: inline-block;" class="apple-rich-link" draggable="true" role="link" data-url="https://talksport.com/sport/nfl/1712001/patrick-mahomes-response-tua-jersey-chiefs-dolphins/"><a style="border-radius:10px;font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;display:block;-webkit-user-select:none;width:300px;user-select:none;-webkit-user-modify:read-only;user-modify:read-only;overflow:hidden;text-decoration:none;" class="lp-rich-link" rel="nofollow" href="https://talksport.com/sport/nfl/1712001/patrick-mahomes-response-tua-jersey-chiefs-dolphins/" dir="ltr" role="button" draggable="false" width="300"><table style="table-layout:fixed;border-collapse:collapse;width:300px;background-color:#E9E9EB;font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="300"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center" align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg28eVIUL1S7IemjAWhkCLvyygSqqSingbVDvidPLE4r7B14SdxnXxcTFtO9dNusEo7hG-8t6gNkDJLCS8EwWm3zQOyQdzFcnle6n-d8xmJjAsXg4Pb8MLMagGEBaSugdtxRWOZA8qzD9qsgxweUrqpAWKyC2ixZ826hplvwlAL_jamEAbKQswBoSPPhIU"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg28eVIUL1S7IemjAWhkCLvyygSqqSingbVDvidPLE4r7B14SdxnXxcTFtO9dNusEo7hG-8t6gNkDJLCS8EwWm3zQOyQdzFcnle6n-d8xmJjAsXg4Pb8MLMagGEBaSugdtxRWOZA8qzD9qsgxweUrqpAWKyC2ixZ826hplvwlAL_jamEAbKQswBoSPPhIU=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7324492513860603202" /></a></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#E9E9EB" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;table-layout:fixed;background-color:rgba(233, 233, 235, 1);" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:8px 0px 8px 0px;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem"><div style="max-width:100%;margin:0px 16px 0px 16px;overflow:hidden;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack"><div style="word-wrap:break-word;font-weight:500;font-size:12px;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;text-align:left;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://talksport.com/sport/nfl/1712001/patrick-mahomes-response-tua-jersey-chiefs-dolphins/" style="text-decoration: none" draggable="false"><font color="#000000" style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);">Mahomes' response to Tua asking for his jersey has fans saying same thing</font></a></div><div style="word-wrap:break-word;font-weight:400;font-size:11px;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;text-align:left;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://talksport.com/sport/nfl/1712001/patrick-mahomes-response-tua-jersey-chiefs-dolphins/" style="text-decoration: none" draggable="false"><font color="#A2A2A9" style="color: rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6);">talksport.com</font></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div> </div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJVyMYX81VN-c-0848ti_8qe7LtRnVgHnkUT572IPPR9-3c5g8XMfL9elOFozuBB3tk4dPCxOznDj5gqwknlKGq8RThJdo4uOja40ySgSTpbmudqxac4sFcB9jxavCeXLSpp2Wm0tVQ7pt01A8MhsXiXA8rltvSXjFIw7W_xO2lT6mg9WznYQKrPivSpU"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJVyMYX81VN-c-0848ti_8qe7LtRnVgHnkUT572IPPR9-3c5g8XMfL9elOFozuBB3tk4dPCxOznDj5gqwknlKGq8RThJdo4uOja40ySgSTpbmudqxac4sFcB9jxavCeXLSpp2Wm0tVQ7pt01A8MhsXiXA8rltvSXjFIw7W_xO2lT6mg9WznYQKrPivSpU=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7324492521926822850" /></a></div>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-49219026862339057902024-01-14T04:23:00.000-08:002024-01-14T04:43:40.426-08:00The after game conversation. <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEju48UcTk1NOQZ3B86sS83R2s-RHhE06ujMDZ3ax1c8AI4rqjJHQyEbO7vORqFy1ol99bfdGhzdTZZZu_kwI9bNvLbCm43XvzLHAEKeChjMGebByhgZcEru2j-fZ8wpusq2nJG-uXrzgiqlljEeVLNodBWeGL5oyDZzQOJxqTjt0uhV-JsnBquBw9Jtgec"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEju48UcTk1NOQZ3B86sS83R2s-RHhE06ujMDZ3ax1c8AI4rqjJHQyEbO7vORqFy1ol99bfdGhzdTZZZu_kwI9bNvLbCm43XvzLHAEKeChjMGebByhgZcEru2j-fZ8wpusq2nJG-uXrzgiqlljEeVLNodBWeGL5oyDZzQOJxqTjt0uhV-JsnBquBw9Jtgec=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7323933802583871826" /></a></p>I've said before that I didn't think Tua should have ever played again after his concussion last year. But of course he did.
<br>
<br>(As a quick aside, I found it telling that he didn't have a concussion all year, and that only a couple of NFL players were diagnosed with one. How can that be with the hits he and many others take? A change in policy on how they're monitored?)
<br>
<br>This season was pedestrian, in spite of his looking good in moments. Hey, I could play in a video game offense and throw the ball up at times to elite receivers, too.
<br>
<br>Anyway, at the end of the game yesterday, he and Mahomes shared a moment.
<br>
<br>Here's what I think was said:
<br>
<br>Tua: "when I grow up I want to be like you!"
<br>
<br>Mahomes: "that's nice kid. Keep working hard and maybe someday you'll be able to play at the pro level"Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-84210151466418193182023-12-26T04:51:00.000-08:002023-12-26T04:51:51.706-08:00Bitchin Dave's newsletter - Dec 26<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A quick note that this will be my last newsletter of the year. I'll be back around in mid-January. Wishing you and happy and healthy new year!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the meantime, I'd like to encourage you to start the new year off with a plan to improve on yourself. Exercise more, engage in more self care, or maybe try something new. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We can all benefit from things like reading more (and since </span></span><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">there are books being banned - why not see what those are about?), watching less tv, or engaging in learning something new. I've got a little science experiment I tried, which I share below.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To paraphrase Hamilton, smile more and talk less. The smiling can surely help improve your mood. And in talking less, we can listen to other points of view. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">On the surface, the story about the beaming of a cat video from space seems kind of superfluous and maybe a little silly. (Cat videos were so 2010's!)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But as I've noted, part of the Psyche mission that was launched back in October was to develop a high powered laser to transmit large amounts of data, quickly and efficiently.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The video was a high definition recording that was received on Earth in just over a minute from 19 million miles away. It was the first proof that this technology will work for deep space travel, and will allow us to communicate with spacecraft in real time while transmitting a lot of data.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Call it an early success!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/12/18/world/nasa-space-laser-cat-video-scn/index.html">Nasa’s space laser transmission</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Einstein's theory of relativity has been the defacto standard in physics for a few generations. It suggests how gravity bends spacetime. Then along comes quantum theory, which looks at spacetime differently. This bending doesn't work in the quantum model.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This problem has led some scientists to disagree about who is right, since these two of these ideas clash and could not coexist, because they account for the universe in different ways.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And, hey, arguing about scientific theories is always fun, IMHO. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But then two physicists came up with a possible explanation for how they can both be right: essentially, spacetime doesn't follow the same rules, and therefore quantum mechanics wouldn't explain it. They also proposed an experiment to test out this hypothesis.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So perhaps the argument can end - or maybe the experiment will lead to new questions.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://phys.org/news/2023-12-theory-einstein-gravity-quantum-mechanics.html">https://phys.org/news/2023-12-theory-einstein-gravity-quantum-mechanics.html</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As if they needed to worry about more, the Disney corporation finds itself in another tough spot - this time its in the form of a lawsuit from more than 9,000 women who work (or worked) for Disney and who are claiming gender bias and pay discrimination. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They are saying they were paid less than their male counterparts, were asked to fill a bigger role temporarily but were never actually considered for it permanently, were denied a promotion or title, and so on. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The suit was given class status, and probably bears some watching. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">You can read more details here:</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/disneys-legal-woes-mount-as-exec-notes-pay-equity-nightmare-in-unsealed-court-docs-1235759683/amp/">Hollywood Reporter article</a></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the movie Blazing Saddles, the townsfolk created a fake town to fool the bad guys. It was used with comic intent. However, the premise has been used in real life.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In World War I, France started construction of a fake Paris to fool pilots <a href="https://historyfacts.com/world-history/fact/in-wwi-france-started-to-build-a-fake-paris-to-confuse-german-bombers/">https://historyfacts.com/world-history/fact/in-wwi-france-started-to-build-a-fake-paris-to-confuse-german-bombers/</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In World War II, the British and the Americans pulled off a ruse whereby they made the Germans think they were amassing forces in Southern England.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/history-and-stories/d-day-deception/#:~:text=A%20fake%20army,England%20under%20General%20George%20Patton." style="font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Quicksilver operation</a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">Today, with satellites, that sort of thing isn’t possible… or is it? </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">There have been a few cases where people have been motivated to alter some physical feature so the satellites don't quite see what's going on, and there have been a few others where satellite maps have been altered for "security reasons."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">And there’s also an oddity that has carried forward since the early days of mapmaking: </span><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;">map makers sought to protect others from copying their work by creating fake towns. If it showed up on someone else's map, then they knew it was copied.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(28, 69, 135);">And, well, here’s a 21st century example of how that carried forward into Google maps.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.treehugger.com/paper-towns-and-other-lies-maps-tell-you-4863749">https://www.treehugger.com/paper-towns-and-other-lies-maps-tell-you-4863749</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">As I noted in the intro, you can try some easy experiments at home. Here's one I tested out: the Mpemba effect - does hot water freeze faster than cold water?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://youtu.be/-bARD0ZMTOc">https://youtu.be/-bARD0ZMTOc</a></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is a story about a juvenile program that's intended to break the cycle of crime that afflicts youth, particularly those that are "at risk" or which we consider minorities.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">In short: giving people a purpose, and a little education goes a long way.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/11/23/rancho-cielo-helps-california-students-find-jobs-avoid-jail/71394805007/">Students find jobs, avoid jail</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-69683046298317891692023-12-19T19:07:00.000-08:002023-12-19T19:10:14.843-08:00Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - December 19<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although I'm a big believer in spreading the love throughout the year, I know the holidays often bring out the best in all of us. I would like to encourage you to perform a random act of kindness today (or sometime this week) and then try and keep it up maybe once a week. They can be small things -- its the idea that you're doing something unsolicited that matters. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kindness is easy to pass along. A friend once told me that she carries a box of cereal bars in her car, and whenever she sees a homeless person, she'll offer them one. I loved the idea and adopted it myself (which reminds me that I need to put some more in my car!). But that's just one thing. There are tons of ideas; here to give you some ideas: <a href="https://www.mywell.org/blog/30-ways-to-give-back">https://www.mywell.org/blog/30-ways-to-give-back</a> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But by all means, try anything that suits you. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We can help society to be kind once again through our own simple examples.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I saw a pair of articles about the OSIRIS-REx mission (where we sent a probe to take a core sample of an asteroid named Bennu and return it to Earth). These stories are not about what they recovered exactly; rather they are about a few engineering issues.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The first is about the bolts that are holding in the main part of the sample. There were 35 in total, and thus far, 33 have been removed - but the other two are (to this point) hopelessly over torqued and can't be removed. While they've been able to retrieve some small material from the probe, without removing the other bolts, the main sample can't be studied. Still, they've found some interesting things which they've reported on.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The second is about the parachute that was used to break the fall. The people who built the probe made a very human error, and mixed up the lines and connected the explosive charges incorrectly. The cord for the parachute was cut before the chute deployed, causing it to fall in an unexpected way. Thankfully, it didn't end the mission, but perhaps that contributed to the bolt issue; the impact may have slightly bent the frame.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-surprised-bennu-samples">https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-surprised-bennu-samples</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://hackaday.com/2023/12/12/nasa-blames-probe-chute-failure-on-wire-labels/" style="font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://hackaday.com/2023/12/12/nasa-blames-probe-chute-failure-on-wire-labels/</a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab published a paper, sharing their finding that a nuclear device placed onto an asteroid could cause it to break up and thus make it harmless to the Earth. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wait. Didn't we see this in a movie starring Bruce Willis? Wasn't Armageddon about a team that was sent to an asteroid to blow it up using a nuclear device?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">At this point, the research done here is theoretical, and they do suggest sending an unmanned device millions of miles away. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But once again, life imitates art.... </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://phys.org/news/2023-12-nuclear-deflection-simulations-advance-planetary.html">https://phys.org/news/2023-12-nuclear-deflection-simulations-advance-planetary.html</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When EPCOT first opened, the concept was to have a World Showcase to act as a permanent world's fair - and a "Future World" that was an innovation park as part of a community experience. The latter would showcase new technologies and evolve over time.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Only it never did evolve, and became stuck in the 1980s. It floundered for a long time, before Disney decided to update it into themed areas like Discovery, Celebration, and Nature that would reimagine the concept.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">After 5 or so years, a pandemic, many stops and starts, and a ton of construction, its partially open. But as the attached article notes its underwhelming. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It could still come together later, as more opens, but its too bad Disney - 40 years later - STILL can't figure out what half of the park is, or could be.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/disney-fan-just-went-major-015751985.html">https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/disney-fan-just-went-major-015751985.html</a> </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We've all seen the stories about companies trying to restrict "the right to repair" - anything from preventing you from taking your car to a repair shop to not being able to put generic toner in your printer.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But here's the first case I've seen where a company bricked a public transit train, to prevent it from being maintained by anyone else. It happened in Poland, but I have to imagine its not the last time we'll see this sort of thing.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">By the way, it was hackers to the rescue while they sorted out the long term solution.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/manufacturer-deliberately-bricked-trains-repaired-by-competitors-hackers-find/">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/manufacturer-deliberately-bricked-trains-repaired-by-competitors-hackers-find/</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I don't have a new video this week. Instead, I wanted to share a clip from Neil Tyson, where he talks about getting space ships into orbit, and in particular why they roll after liftoff.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://youtu.be/w0CJ4saWatg?si=8cvC2OkDcfQXjRVu">https://youtu.be/w0CJ4saWatg?si=8cvC2OkDcfQXjRVu</a></span></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Scientific American had a long form article about "workforce woes" at NASA. The main takeaway is that there are too few people, they are underfunded to a point, and there are an increasing number of missions.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But the underlying point (and why it fits here) is about work itself, and how its compelling and interesting and at least some of the staff take it as a way of life and ignore the work-life balance issues and the low-ish pay.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">My personal aside is that it has always been this way. When I worked at NASA nearly 30 years ago, people were always asked to do more. To work longer hours, and weekends. To be deployed into the field to support shuttle missions. And all for a pay scale that was set by the government - and was definitely lower than the industry.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And as a final thought, I like to always say that you should do what you love, and what works best for your own situation in life. That's really what its all about.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-labs-workforce-woes-threaten-major-space-missions/">https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-labs-workforce-woes-threaten-major-space-missions/</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-55131130661333976262023-12-19T17:06:00.001-08:002023-12-19T17:06:05.310-08:00Sandra Day O’Connor and her brush with John RigginsIn honor of her state funeral..,
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<br><a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/07/john-riggins-sandra-day-oconnor-loosen-up">https://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/07/john-riggins-sandra-day-oconnor-loosen-up</a>
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<br>Short. Sweet. To the point. That's the beauty Dave's iPhone.Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-61682724856873529642023-12-12T09:39:00.000-08:002023-12-12T09:39:27.508-08:00Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - December 12<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you haven't been following it, there's an abortion-related case in Texas which is interesting. It doesn't matter where we each stand on the topic; this case is not about abortion per se. This is about compassion and a broader sense of our reproduction and health and safety.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In short, there is a woman whose pregnancy is in jeopardy. The fetus can not be brought to term, and her reproductive health will be damaged if she has to deliver. And, it is likely she will never be able to have children should she have to complete the pregnancy. This is the very definition of "medically necessary."</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But the state has no exceptions. No caveats. Abortion is illegal. Full stop. She managed to win a few times in court, but the Texas Supreme court has rejected any claims and simply says she can't seek an abortion. As a result, she announced her intention to seek an abortion out of state.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My bigger issue is that too many people show absolutely no compassion for the situation. Not even the simple polite human kind of thing like "the law is the law and we're sorry that this happened"... no, its more about threats, some gloating, and being cruel to any and every one. Remember back when some politicians talked about "death panels?" It sure feels like we're there in a way. Doctors can't administer care because the law forbids it.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Its sad really.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Why do we have to be this way? Why do politics and religion have to play into everything so that we can't even have a rational discussion on a topic? We should all be outraged and looking for a different set of answers and engaging in a rational discussion.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There was recently an announcement about interagency communication related to space weather. On the surface, its about being operationally ready for space missions, which sounds fine, but has limited potential to help with Earth-based weather. What about studying our climate and better communicating about it?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But I'll take the fact that they are setting up ways to share information. And in looking at "space weather" there are two possible things that are positive: launch operations rely in part on forecasts for upper level clouds, which is, in fact, Earth based weather. And second, knowing what the sun is doing, and better understanding its and the moon impacts would be useful. And should help us understand our planet. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Plus, knowing where all of our space debris is, and knowing more about threats from things like asteroids will be beneficial.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.noaa.gov/stories/new-path-for-space-weather-collaboration-among-federal-agencies">https://www.noaa.gov/stories/new-path-for-space-weather-collaboration-among-federal-agencies</a> </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I read an interesting article on the demise of the dinosaurs. A group of scientists have hypothesized that it wasn't simply a meteorite that caused mass extinction.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Their thinking is that it was primarily climate change caused by a large number of volcanic eruptions; this caused the Earth to cool and the dinosaurs died off.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now, they are testing sediments, rocks, bones, and other items to see what they can tell us about that time 200,000 years ago. They're looking for specific types of ash, and certain chemicals that would have been present in a large scale volcanic eruption.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So far, their research is encouraging but there is still more work to be done.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">You can read more here:</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://phys.org/news/2023-11-meteorite-clues-demise-dinosaurs.amp">https://phys.org/news/2023-11-meteorite-clues-demise-dinosaurs.amp</a></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Over the last few months or so, there has been some chatter about the potential for a hostile takeover at Disney! As these things often go, its complicated.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It involves a billionaire named Nelson Peltz who owns a large stake in Disney. He was not happy with Disney's "direction" under Bob Chapek's leadership. He was pleased that the company planned to make a change, but was troubled by them returning to Bob Iger.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">He immediately sought to increase his stake in the company, and then looked to get himself onto the board of directors. When that failed, he allied himself with others who are disgruntled, and see Disney underperforming, including Ike Perlman (who at one point ran Marvel, before being ousted by Iger).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Peltz and Perlman have both publicly said that Disney has spent too much effort on woke-ness, and not paid enough attention to the bottom line.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">They fought for seats again in November, which led Disney to protect against that, by filling them with other people - and then changed how seats are filled. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And that leads us to here: the pair intended to have a proxy fight early next year to oust Iger.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">To counter that, Disney has announced the return of dividends (yay, in general, but as small stockholders we'll see very little), and plans to spend in order to grow in the major operational areas.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Its all crazy, but it shows just how far we've come with the company that Walt and Roy started. Its about politics and money - and not strictly about entertainment.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Quick addition: its not that Walt wasn't political, he surely was, but it was handled differently, perhaps smarter? and those were different times).</span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Florida's insurance issues came to the national stage recently. It all started when the governor, at a recent campaign event talking about how great he is, attempted to explain how he "fixed" the insurance market in Florida. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">He rambled and stumbled and wound up (a) saying that Florida has a huge gap in the funds available through the Citizens insurance program; and if there was a big storm, he would ask the Federal Government for a bailout, and that all Floridians would have to pay large sums to cover any shortfall. (gee, that sure sounds like its far from fixed and, rather is on the brink of disaster).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This drew the attention of the US Senate, which convened hearings to talk about how (poorly) the state is handling insurance and whether they should be considered insolvent when it comes to handling claims. This can't end well...</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And (b) he inadvertently acknowledged that there is a climate crisis and more huge storms are coming. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Of course climate scientists jumped on the second point. And noted that surely even some of the biggest deniers see that there is a problem on a global scale, even if they are reticent to do anything about it. For now. I take it as a starting point. Its slightly better than nothing.</span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here's a followup to my last video about charging at home.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nafyEBKeesQ">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nafyEBKeesQ</a></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Smithsonian Magazine has a <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/america-just-now-learning-love-thaddeus-stevens-best-hated-man-us-history-180983235/">good article </a>about Thaddeus Stevens. Its a name you may never have heard, because the Jim Crowe era mostly erased his name.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stevens was an anti-slavery force who did what he could to help us move away from slavery. He was chairman of the ways and means committee during the Civil War, and was instrumental in helping to amend the Constitution during Reconstruction. And he was always outspoken on the topic, and its related injustices.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We should take time to remember the man and his accomplishments.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-42154657583986495402023-12-11T07:36:00.001-08:002023-12-11T07:36:37.231-08:00That chiefs play<div dir="auto">The formation the Chiefs used was weird. Toney (who was called offsides) has the purple arrow. And yes, he's lined up beyond the ball. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">But he's not the only issue. The center (blue) is further up than the rest of the offensive line (yellow circle) which is also an illegal formation. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">And the receiver at the top (yellow arrow) is in the backfield based on where the ball is spotted. Meaning the center in this case is the only guy on the line so he's technically an eligible receiver, which he is not. Also illegal. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">And then Taylor swifts bff is at the bottom with the green arrow. It's an illegal formation to have a player in the backfield farther out than the last receiver. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">So chiefs fans, players, and coaches can cry all they want. The play may have been genius in possibly scoring the winning TD. But the setup was a mess. And the refs were correct. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkzIluRf1tyerRz2rNX4oaVsU9XcLzZLQ4pMQSIei645ZOw4o4eo-XYNJKWBqcUQ681jKZknWJmoTYTalIXGsodAfw4E9DwWOKkV6l5gTapGjjSWAVCfy1Dh0LLp8OtH3_dN1IqUXI4azV4Jx58F99LAsakEEs475sTDzsOOjGufH7hNIEPbS0UGjasGo"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkzIluRf1tyerRz2rNX4oaVsU9XcLzZLQ4pMQSIei645ZOw4o4eo-XYNJKWBqcUQ681jKZknWJmoTYTalIXGsodAfw4E9DwWOKkV6l5gTapGjjSWAVCfy1Dh0LLp8OtH3_dN1IqUXI4azV4Jx58F99LAsakEEs475sTDzsOOjGufH7hNIEPbS0UGjasGo=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7311361474149646018" /></a></div> Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-64644274445661720852023-12-05T08:35:00.000-08:002023-12-05T08:35:40.506-08:00Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - December 5<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">College football is big business. On the one side, you have the players ability to accept payments for their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), thanks to several court cases. The NCAA loathes this, because that's money and power *they* are losing in various ways, and so they are lobbying congress to help them sort this out, and help them retain power over the goings on.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And on the other side, you have the "hubbub" about the college football playoffs. For years, they let a vote decide the best team. Then, they allowed for a 4-team playoff, which has helped, but often becomes a bit of a quagmire. Last year, you had a team that probably didn't belong in the playoffs get beaten badly in the championship. This year, you had shenanigans with a team that was left out, despite never having lost, and being part of a big-time conference. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Never forget this is all about money. The NCAA let a team in to the playoff last year, and that didn't work out. So this year, they made sure that all the teams they let in are competitive AND which have fans that will buy up all the packages to see the game. For the poor team that went undefeated, the problem is that their star player got injured and they're just scraping by. That surely doesn't generate enough interest, and hits up against the competitive aspect.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">There is a solution of course: expand the number of teams that play, and let it sort itself out on the field. But then, the inherent problem is that you lose out on bowl game revenue, and fewer teams wind up with a win at the end of the season. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A small company named Astrobotic won a government contract to send a lander with instrumentation to our moon.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The intent is to study the lunar surface - with much more sophistication than we could have imagined in the 1960s - in an effort to build habitats there in the future.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The mission will launch on December 24th from Kennedy Space Center aboard a ULA spacecraft, and will take about a month to touchdown. Landing is planned for January 25th.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Its exciting, and will mark 50 years since an American space craft last landed on the moon!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://phys.org/news/2023-11-years-moon-january.html">https://phys.org/news/2023-11-years-moon-january.html</a></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Clear Air Turbulence (ie, unexpected turbulence while flying) is on the rise, and there's an interesting look at what is being done in the airline industry in the attached article.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But the more significant part of this story is the WHY there is more turbulence. This has everything to do with Climate Change, and how the atmospheric conditions are different than they were in the past. And they are expected to get worse. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Call it another example of how climate change impacts our everyday lives.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisagarcia/2023/11/20/more-clear-air-turbulence-from-climate-change-raises-safety-concerns/amp/">Forbes Clear Air Turbulence</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Henry Kissinger passed away this week. Now you may be asking yourself what Kissinger has to do with Disney.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">
And well, the answer lies in the planning for Epcot. Kissinger became the singular authority on international relations and diplomacy. The Disney company wanted to include him as they sold the idea of a permanent worlds fair, with countries all on equal footing in a spirit of harmony.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">
They invited Kissinger in to view the models, to get some opinions, and (most importantly) to ask him to act as an ambassador of sorts, when he talked with heads of state. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In short, his credibility is one of the main reasons this project moved forward as it did. The World Showcase, as it appeared in 1982, was a direct reflection on his influence.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This picture is of Kissinger being greeted by then-CEO Card Walker as he entered the Contemporary Hotel to see the models.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="http://disneyworldpodcast.net/dwpsitepics/kissinger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="480" height="121" src="http://disneyworldpodcast.net/dwpsitepics/kissinger.jpg" width="188" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /> </span><p></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here's a fun story about how Australia declared war on the Emu population, and lost.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">TL;DR. In the 1930s, Emus (yes the flightless bird) migrated due to changing habitats (quick aside: its a relatable moment as we see habitats changing today as well), and were destroying crops. The government deployed "Great War" veterans to literally exterminate them with machine guns. And .... it was a bit of a disaster. The Emus spread out and found ways to thrive.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://historyfacts.com/world-history/fact/in-1932-australia-declared-a-war-against-emus-and-lost/">https://historyfacts.com/world-history/fact/in-1932-australia-declared-a-war-against-emus-and-lost/ </a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I'm talking about charging my Tesla at 240v, and the effect on the battery. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://youtu.be/T4xvCtFArug?si=23oft5BkFNMpbyb0">https://youtu.be/T4xvCtFArug?si=23oft5BkFNMpbyb0</a></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">There's been an ongoing schism in the (formerly "united") Methodist Church over their stance on LGBTQ issues. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">In short, about a year ago, the church unilaterally decided to not accept that anyone could possibly be gay and have taken a position that anyone who identifies as such is not welcome in the church. How very christian of them.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Many of the member churches objected to this stance, so they decided to leave the Methodist faith and re-form as something else. Much back and forth later (unsurprisingly much of it legal in nature and not about "the faith"), they were allowed to leave. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Then, a few weeks ago there was a formal vote on 261 churches in Georgia, bringing the total number that left the denomination to 6,225 or about 20% of all the Methodist churches - with the potential - and high likelihood - for more to come.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/11/19/north-georgia-conference-methodist-church-261-congregations-depart-LGBTQ-rights/7461700413904/">https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/11/19/north-georgia-conference-methodist-church-261-congregations-depart-LGBTQ-rights/7461700413904/</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-24093308361523047452023-11-28T08:02:00.000-08:002023-11-28T08:02:20.507-08:00Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - Nov 28<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The state of Florida's homeowners insurance "problem" came into focus again this week. As a short summary, one small company (Peoples Trust, quite the name) has many homes that they insured in the path of Hurricane Ian. They have told homeowners it can take 10 months or more just to get an adjustor out their home. And the company policy says that repairs can only be done by one specific company (that is, no checks are issued for repairs, just the company makes repairs), after the adjustor visits.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Reaching their wits end, it being more than 10 months living with damage, some people went ahead and had repairs done. And what did the insurer do? They sued the homeowners for violating the terms of their policy. The homeowners are appealing to the state for help. But guess what? The COO of the company used to be Florida's insurance commissioner. I can't imagine that he's not "connected" - and that it's unlikely the state will do anything.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am dumbfounded by this process. And these poor people just want to live in their undamaged houses, you know, like they did last year. Is that asking for too much?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we continue to reach further into the stars, and start thinking about sending humans into deeper space, we have to think about how we communicate with the crafts and people who leave the Earth.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And that's where the "Deep Space Optical Communications" comes in. As a part of the Psyche space probe that will examine a deep space asteroid, NASA has included a laser-based communications system that is around 10x faster than traditional radio relays - and allows for larger data streams, such as high resolution video. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is quite a step forward, and should lead to even more innovation. You can read more here:</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/deep-space-optical-communications-dsoc">https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/deep-space-optical-communications-dsoc</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The USA Today had a good summary of the latest Climate Assessment (a Federal Report on Climate Change). For context, this was something that Congress started in the 1980s: every 4 years, a climate report is produced.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The latest one is unapologetic. CO2 emissions are high. The world is getting hotter. We can't ignore the risks. Humans are the primary cause for the change. "The risks matter and so do our choices." We need to take action.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Read about it at <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/11/14/national-climate-assessment-2023-report/71571146007/">USA Today</a>, link to the actual report is in the article</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Oxford Economics did a study of the economic impact of Walt Disney World in Florida. Disney <a href="https://disneyconnect.com/disneyworld/disney-positively-impacts-florida-economy/">self-published the results </a> They are:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><li style="color: #363636; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif">In fiscal year 2022, Disney had a total economic impact of </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">$40.3 billion </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif">in Florida. </span></li><li style="color: #363636; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">263,000 total jobs, or 1 out of every 32 jobs in Florida,</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif"> is attributable to Disney (including 1 in 8 that we directly support here in Central Florida). </span></li><li style="color: #363636; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif">We at Disney World work with </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">2,500 small businesses based in Florida</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif">. These entrepreneurs and small business owners play an important role in bringing magic to life for our guests.</span></li><li style="color: #363636; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">$6.6 billion in tax revenue, including $3.1 billion in annual state and local tax revenue</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif"> was generated by Disney, visitors, employees and third-party businesses.</span></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p align="left" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To my eyes, this appears to be in response to the ongoing nonsense with the governor of Florida. But even so, its interesting to see it put into numbers.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And of course, Disney goes on to talk about Give Kids the World and the Second Harvest food bank, to which they contribute as not directly benefiting the economy.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span face="BWHaasGroteskWeb, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><i>Oxford Economics Ltd. provides economics services. The Company offers economic forecasts, quantitative analysis, global forecasting, and modeling services. Oxford Economics serves customers throughout the world.</i></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ron Magill is known for being a conservationist and has shown skills as a wildlife photographer. But, in South Florida he is known as the face of Zoo Miami. He is officially the communications director, but he is so much more. He was a part of moving the zoo to its current home. He was there after Hurricane Andrew, helping to get the animals secured. He talks relentlessly about conservation and the perils to our environment.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And now he's speaking out against a proposed water park on the land next to the zoo for specific environmental reasons. He's someone worth listening to, and I encourage you to read more about him and this story.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We can learn a lot about how we can help the environment from him, and in turn help ourselves. We can learn to be more outspoken, like him, too.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">These "wealthy fat cats" often are chasing money and will deride science, or present their own contrary version from what amount to paid shills. We should always be alert and aware of such shenanigans.
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Magill">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Magill</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.ronmagill.org/">https://www.ronmagill.org/</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/11/23/be-thankful-for-florida-whistleblowers-like-ron-magill/">https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/11/23/be-thankful-for-florida-whistleblowers-like-ron-magill/</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Today I present a look at unbuilt World Showcase pavilions at Epcot. <a href="https://youtu.be/LCOPeh0p2IM?si=mshKhiH4_uJt5WvO">https://youtu.be/LCOPeh0p2IM?si=mshKhiH4_uJt5WvO</a></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5uFwyPP5GOQ?si=SE1J7T55ycm3Bdbl" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-90593358715557017452023-11-25T08:54:00.000-08:002023-11-25T08:55:03.483-08:00Black Friday or Black Sunday?<div dir="auto">When I heard the dolphins and jets were going to square off in the first Black Friday matchup, I was reminded of this gem from the late 70s. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">It's about a terrorist attack at the Super Bowl - in Miami!</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Out of curiosity, I did a little poking around about facts related to this movie. Obviously most of it was filmed at the Orange bowl. But the crazy thing was that the Goodyear company allowed their blimp to be used, with certain specific conditions.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">And surprisingly, the NFL actually gave permission to film at the Super Bowl, so the game that's going on was the actual Cowboys - Steelers matchup. <br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">But then, a few weeks later, the film crew returned to the stadium to get more action and close up shots. And to have a few blimp props they could use around the stands. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">They brought in a cast of extras from local organizations, and had them sit in the stands and run in horror as needed. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">And several members of the Dolphins football team came out and dressed in Steelers and Cowboys uniforms to provide shots as the game was interrupted. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigeJTX8g5Yx1HW3tQbEPZ6Q7G-MMFb6BaR4TBk03KjAjfFut3hoO8TKO-mkwpO6RSELV-JdKgqNr5bQBQdB8uUPNodygnvjQI2SDVjQ3GKpOPNE5Gz4DhUlB8tD5pkK6JrDvsiebqywtGOPKhHNT9CMxkg2FHVMHG5TidXB4Xhi99vBFPxwQwttmViRsw"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigeJTX8g5Yx1HW3tQbEPZ6Q7G-MMFb6BaR4TBk03KjAjfFut3hoO8TKO-mkwpO6RSELV-JdKgqNr5bQBQdB8uUPNodygnvjQI2SDVjQ3GKpOPNE5Gz4DhUlB8tD5pkK6JrDvsiebqywtGOPKhHNT9CMxkg2FHVMHG5TidXB4Xhi99vBFPxwQwttmViRsw=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7305444327211217906" /></a></div> Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-86927097712214003802023-11-21T17:07:00.000-08:002023-11-21T17:07:33.277-08:00Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - Nov 21<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happy Thanksgiving everyone! </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The origins for Thanksgiving are much more complicated than the simple idea we're taught about the pilgrims and local tribes sharing in a communal meal. What I find interesting is that we're taught a version that is not that of imperialist conquerors, or "savages," but rather of peaceful coexistence. Of all people giving thanks for making it through the harvest season together. Of living in harmony in some way. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We should remember that fact, and</span></span><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> give thanks for what we have, and give thought to how we can better our relationships with others.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Space can be very weird sometimes, and can confound many scientists of all disciplines.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">
Recently, there was a flash of light billions of miles away. Often, this is the result of a cosmic event such as a supernova. While it was interesting and worth noting, it was (relatively) unremarkable.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Until it flashed again. And again. Repeatedly. And it has the brightness of 100 billion of our suns, which makes it all the more interesting.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">
For now physicists are perplexed, and have no idea what they are seeing / why its happening. They have named it the "Tasmanian Devil" and will continue to watch it and attempt to provide an explanation.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/strange-explosion-captured-in-a-nearby-galaxy-wasnt-a-one-off">https://www.sciencealert.com/strange-explosion-captured-in-a-nearby-galaxy-wasnt-a-one-off</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Last week, there was a remarkable sight to see here in Florida (though sadly not by me): A split sunset. I admit that my first reaction to this was that it was some sort of jiggery-pokery or a photo shop image. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But believe it or not, this is a real phenomena with a scientific explanation. At just the right time of day (during a small window just before the sun disappears over the horizon) if there is a large storm cloud below the horizon, it may obstruct some of the light. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The effect is a bit of an optical illusion, and can only happen for a few minutes. But it is very, very cool!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRx3n0iAfR7wULJZDXZ1WQIYU14N84yyxqRugQLiSvbI_A3gFWkz3jLZ5vuLOsJaREBijyEkP53UxojdQdLSlHmjUHMUceFYpQJCaSpELqKXZU9FfezHuvLu5nJDzAx051JQE_0vGCqjB-IBSLhXw58cKvR_MnkPbiHAnb72qXPZII5qb1qC2h9i2ftU/s838/Untitled.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="838" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRx3n0iAfR7wULJZDXZ1WQIYU14N84yyxqRugQLiSvbI_A3gFWkz3jLZ5vuLOsJaREBijyEkP53UxojdQdLSlHmjUHMUceFYpQJCaSpELqKXZU9FfezHuvLu5nJDzAx051JQE_0vGCqjB-IBSLhXw58cKvR_MnkPbiHAnb72qXPZII5qb1qC2h9i2ftU/w200-h197/Untitled.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span><p></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Disney World has had a long history of "3rd party tour guides" offering services to people coming to visit the theme parks. While Disney would naturally prefer that you use one of their official tours and hire a CastMember, they generally have let these individuals slide and maybe bend the rules a bit.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But, pre-pandemic, you started to see these individuals taking advantage of the rules - abusing the disability services, and hacking the fast pass system to name a few. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And now here we are a few years later, and they continue to do these things, and more. And worse, they post their hacks and bad behavior online so anyone could theoretically take advantage of the system.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Disney</span><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> felt it was time to act, and decided to "crack down" on 3rd party tour guides in order to protect their brand and make it enjoyable for all guests. Most of the individuals who were regular abusers of the system have now received lifetime bans from Walt Disney World. In the first few days after they got the bans, they were denied entrance at the gate after receiving money for their services. Which no doubt was awkward. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But Disney re-iterated that the theme park is private property, and they can revoke admission to anyone who is not following the rules. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While these folks complained, they are left without recourse. To which I say that's too bad. The rules are the rules and I know that you have differentiate yourself. But come on. Remember its their product you are promoting and basing a business on.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here's a story about an experiment that an ecologist suggested in Costa Rica. He asked an orange juice company to discard its pulp and peels into an area that was heavily deforested.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They dumped 12,000 metric tons of oranges onto the land. And now its 20 years later....and the results showed how much the compost helped to replenish the soil and created a large amount of biodiversity.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The hypothesis, then, is that produce scraps may help forests to regrow on a larger scale. And that regrowth may be one of the keys to helping climate change.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.upworthy.com/amp/a-juice-company-dumped-orange-peels-in-a-national-park-heres-what-it-looks-like-now-rp3-2637363507">https://www.upworthy.com/amp/a-juice-company-dumped-orange-peels-in-a-national-park-heres-what-it-looks-like-now-rp3-2637363507</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I'm talking about SpaceX's Starship launch attempt #2. <a href="https://youtu.be/cd79gXjl_Ww?si=zqxfxYGnDV6fyQ5I">https://youtu.be/cd79gXjl_Ww?si=zqxfxYGnDV6fyQ5I</a></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One of my favorite "feel good" stories happened 8 years ago when a woman texted who she thought was her grandson to invite him for Thanksgiving, only to find out that he had changed his number and she was texting a 17-year-old student.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">After they figured that out, the young man asked if the offer stood for him. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span face="Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span face="Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><i>"Of course you can. That's what grandmas do ... feed everyone."</i></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So he joined them for thanksgiving and became a part of the family in a way, and will join them again this year, for the 8th year.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The thing that really gets me about this story is the warmth between them - even though it was a totally random start, they didn't know each other, and the fact that she is white, while he is black. It did not matter, and they became friends.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We need so much more of this in life.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://abc7chicago.com/amp/thanksgiving-grandma-text-message-accident/13957705/">https://abc7chicago.com/amp/thanksgiving-grandma-text-message-accident/13957705/</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-71752257155557271062023-11-14T09:46:00.000-08:002023-11-14T09:49:43.057-08:00Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - Nov 14<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Last week's election was a reminder that voting matters. Extreme right-wing agendas and candidates lost most races. Ohio voters codified abortion rights into their constitution. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Meanwhile some of the candidates who lost lamented their losses by essentially attacking democracy. This is truly what's at stake. A free and fair election is paramount for our republic. We must fight to keep in it, in order to continue to maintain our rights. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Its okay to have differing opinions. It's not okay to undercut our principles. And our democracy.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There is a scheduled Falcon Heavy launch on December 7. This one is to carry a US Spaceforce space plane into orbit. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I look forward to trying to see this launch!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But on a slightly more amusing note, its funny that their designation for the plane is X-37B, since the ride vehicles at The Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger spin are the XP-37.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I sure hope their motto is "To Infinity and Beyond" and that they are preparing to face off against Zurg.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://disneyworldpodcast.net/trivia/xp-37.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="133" src="http://disneyworldpodcast.net/trivia/xp-37.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="goog_436947644"><br /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://spacenews.com/u-s-air-force-x-37b-spaceplane-to-launch-on-a-spacex-falcon-heavy-rocket/">https://spacenews.com/u-s-air-force-x-37b-spaceplane-to-launch-on-a-spacex-falcon-heavy-rocket/</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Scientists at the CDC (which apparently has mostly returned to being a non-politicized entity) have started a voluntary program to test international travelers for various pathogens. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That, coupled with sampling wastewater from airplanes and airport bathrooms, might help understand the spread of seasonal things like the flu, and may provide a better understanding of how to track (and perhaps even prevent the spread of) a future pandemic.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is the kind of critical thinking that was lacking when the pandemic was just starting to affect our lives. Glad to see we are trying some new things, even if they are fairly low tech.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cdc-expand-disease-surveillance-international-travelers">https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cdc-expand-disease-surveillance-international-travelers</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Disney's 3rd quarter earnings showed that the company has some pretty serious issues. Yes, their profits were high. And yes, there was some growth.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But they still are paying off debt they accrued during the pandemic. They are struggling mightily with streaming and other entertainment costs. Theme park attendance isn't where they want it to be (its probably not accurate to say its "down" because it has peaks post-pandemic, but its inconsistent). And linear tv and sports are eating up costs while not providing consistent return. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And of course there's still the question of succession planning. Bob Iger's recent contract extension is through the end of 2026, so the company has to find someone and groom them over the course of the 3 years. After the last fiasco, some wonder if Iger can manage it this time.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Indonesia is a leading global supplier of palm oil. But palm oil production comes at a price to the environment.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Indonesia is making an effort to balance that more carefully and plans to return nearly 500,000 acres to forest density, while streamlining the palm oil land usage and production.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Like many things run by governmental agencies, the plan has its flaws and detractors. But it is relatively promising and perhaps may help with global warming - and it certainly should help with the way palm oil is cultivated for consumption.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/land-use-biodiversity/indonesia-says-200000-hectares-palm-plantations-be-made-forests-2023-11-01/">https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/land-use-biodiversity/indonesia-says-200000-hectares-palm-plantations-be-made-forests-2023-11-01/</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I took a trip to Disney World and tried hard not to use Superchargers. Did I make it? I did not. I take you through my experience, and can see why everyone struggles with EV adoption ... especially if you can't charge!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://youtu.be/L9sBfpwKsxI?si=JPyEFA0WMgifzYwO">https://youtu.be/L9sBfpwKsxI?si=JPyEFA0WMgifzYwO</a></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: medium; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While I was in Orlando, I took a short road trip into Ocoee. It's a rural area that was once known for its sugar cane and orange groves. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">On election day in 1920, the largest voter-related massacre in US history took place here. The details are in the attached link, but in short, a group of black voters had the audacity to vote. A mob of white men sought to stop them using violence and intimidation. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Today, there is little to remember it by, except for a plaque in a park. And Florida is avoiding teaching the topic (because politicians are stupid). So we have to do our part to ensure this doesn't get lost to history. I took a few moments to remember the history as I stood there - and now I share that with you.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">With continued assaults on voters rights, particularly for minorities, and maps that under-represent people that live in an area (typically in favor of wealthy, white people), we need to be on guard, respecting the rights of everyone. And we need to always exercise our right to vote!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://floridahistoryblog.com/ocoee-on-fire-the-1920-election-day-massacre/">https://floridahistoryblog.com/ocoee-on-fire-the-1920-election-day-massacre/</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126331023383402651.post-82197207528212606272023-11-07T08:33:00.001-08:002023-11-07T08:36:53.353-08:00Bitchin' Dave Newsletter - Nov 7<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/s1798/IMG_2030.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1798" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrZJEex45nk6bfri8r5GlCaK5yqwyDO06TnV3D6u5cetqFcXzRj3CnIRKPUpLwvvj8C7nKW8IbU20SvDiGwI5PTNj4smNcFvP5hnI57ccsoAfJDOn1ih54QgB86OZdh-PGmGw4AhPXEUN9sOH-2to3s0a0ok-mEToqDkbN2ftSEg0mqhY8Y9SPb9U/w68-h51/IMG_2030.jpg" width="68" /></a><span style="color: #4a86e8; font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-size: 37.3333px; white-space: pre;">Dave’s Musings</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span>Governor </span></span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">Roy Cooper of North Carolina has issued Executive Order No. 292, which reestablishes the Secretary of Environmental Quality’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board as the Governor’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council. This order aims to address environmental justice concerns and opportunities throughout state government and the Governor’s cabinet, with a focus on communities disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change. The Council will provide guidance and recommendations to advance environmental justice, while state agencies are directed to develop environmental justice goals and measurable outcomes.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;">It really isn't enough, but I accept that it is <i>something.</i> As I say, sometimes it takes baby steps to get us along the path. Hopefully, other states will follow. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdfee7da-7fff-a3bc-efdf-d486f695fd0b"><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="134"></col><col width="430"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/4RgFJ4jIk4m2lKU-Gyh8yPkDaMt2RYJPFj3dfOlqVliEe0IEiYO32k1JCjOtdNY3AShp9yFcvhicou9Sia4iyihKoBOrfJfRo8Jlzk-Mbp1wC-2vHgKEjcmi0ZUwDuRTbsINRwzNW3Zaqgqy-uTwulU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The International Space Station (ISS) was designed between the late 1980s into the early 1990s. I remember seeing some of the prototypes while working at the space center in the early 90s and standing in them. It was amazing to think about what the future might look like.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The space station was initially launched in 1998, and has been modified and had add-on modules placed on it in the years since. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And now they're starting to plan for its end of useful life and deorbiting it, and so on. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But in the meantime, you can see it with the naked eye as it makes its orbit around the Earth. Visit the site for details of how to see it in your area - and download the app for more interactivity.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/">https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ </a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 6pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="429"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ih1581HwwBhTzVPuwt27kKrx1UbecrS1YOPS-PHf4EV6cmJVRGUeAOnBUUwW3K5GmgFgrBV8fOqDDfLf0Ll5y_zFcKoSZ7_eiuXFH0G5O3if2ll0jII7DQuqBGlucWTAsNSnzrZHoDe2r4dtkdKaXYM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One of the challenges to measuring sea temperatures and sea level rise is the limited amount of historical data, and how that data was collected.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Beginning at some point in the 1800s, naval vessels would essentially drop a thermometer in the ocean to measure sea level temperatures, and record that in a log book. That gives some baseline, but probably can't be considered "accurate" by today's standards.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Its gotten better in the last few decades, and now at least we have some better values to use. But we really need to build better information.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Enter a group that is deploying sensor buoys at locations near shorelines on multiple coasts. We might get something meaningful from that and be able to use it to understand climate change impacts. Its ambitious but pretty cool.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/atlantic-ringed-tiny-sensors-ambitious-effort-track-climate-change">https://www.science.org/content/article/atlantic-ringed-tiny-sensors-ambitious-effort-track-climate-change</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="129"></col><col width="428"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 57px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="57" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-Jkb54vbKp0DJzLYsMYNfZDIUYWTx18rFvvOavUD4cWMtRPZO7VmiWEGAzqpW23IxdhJfppoKmHp2-SMMTJqn0J_oqp5IQwWyzTVzy9CMgNQNuh89N7Urraadm8Xhvs51YdLgyNq-tSS65b2cgTm3XE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Disney regularly files patents for new and creative ideas. About a month ago, I missed that they filed a patent for a new ride system.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While many of them are extensions of technology and patents they already are using, this one is a little different, and as the poster in the link says "wild" ... essentially it allows for a ride vehicle to be moved from one track to another automatically - or with input from the rider. Color my intrigued!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202309/9805/">Theme Park Insider</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 10.5pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="132"></col><col width="425"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/vDOx0QseRu9gC1bfconwEzy5BS7F3S2Bm5OxCrTvGOHQ1x7HitmgB9jo0J4qbAT56jCjK2lzdZMHYgIrMBR6i6L_Xs-ejKZdnF7K5OQ3NX9I3q8IWrBINFk6KPR9buuLfN13ZQPPkqdExtK8F7NTLUY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(0, 0, 0) rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I found an interesting article about the ice cream brand Ample Hills. In short, this man loved making ice cream, started a brand, got investors, made a load of money, and grew...possibly too quickly. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He went bankrupt and sold the name to another company. A while later, he started another ice cream company - but learned from his mistakes. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And when the company he sold the first brand to went bankrupt, he bought back the Ample Hills name. And he's having success again.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/09/30/ample-hills-couple-lost-40m-ice-cream-company-how-theyre-rebuilding.html">https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/09/30/ample-hills-couple-lost-40m-ice-cream-company-how-theyre-rebuilding.html</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="135"></col><col width="423"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 65px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="65" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/eHPu-Ka9RPjvpzbLEC-eZ4g20eakt5u-KsUt3jbx31JalM86oisAhhkSev5bK98q7bzl4NgPdYuMcpeMpCKTPe7TB8IsXpCZeaNkUjvUVK6grza6QpaRFY3vJFPnrlWnFZRDBxtPqMjt83-jzFuEp6A" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Latest video</span></p></td><td style="border-color: rgb(116, 27, 71); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here's a video where I detail the rich history of Disney's expansion into Florida <a href="https://youtu.be/UirSV0__3bo">https://youtu.be/UirSV0__3bo</a></span></p><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /><br /></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 8.25pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="136"></col><col width="421"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 64px; overflow: hidden; width: 86px;"><img height="64" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NaZvX6ZRfABRCEbqec0KR0ldxs3034OZ6oh05zedRbPb8cYGlv5nfb6FYYzbmhJ7eaRBDMXxREmxDNBD9j0uWbWwbOXREXspIKncXhrLaLeoZClyiiNofdnpMiiRXm43Ekmp6viM-HhL1AorGkOuH64" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="86" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Caveat, cursive; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One Little Spark … </span></p><span><br /></span></td><td style="border-color: rgb(17, 85, 204); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While the US continually looks to insert itself into everyone's business - all the while stating they are about small government - other countries are allowing for expansion of rights by its citizens.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Just last week, Emmanuel Macron announced that France will amend its constitution to enshrine a woman's right to choose. While abortion has been legal since 1975, this will go further in ensuring that does not change. He is expecting this to become the norm in 2024.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">“A universal message of solidarity to all women who today see this right violated: France will engrave in its Constitution the freedom of women to have recourse to abortion.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Said the minister on Gender Equality (and how progressive is that?):</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; white-space-collapse: collapse;">“This is a victory for all women and a strong symbol sent to other countries of the world where our rights are losing ground.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #1c4587; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: GuardianTextEgyptian, "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/29/emmanuel-macron-to-enshrine-womens-right-to-abortion-in-france">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/29/emmanuel-macron-to-enshrine-womens-right-to-abortion-in-france</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Disney Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13779674182235655094noreply@blogger.com0