California insurance commissioner issues enforcement action against Tesla | Courthouse News Service

This is just plain dumb.

Tesla has been accused of not responding to customers. The complaint notes 

"[The companies] concede that they have not been able to keep staffing on pace and acknowledge that they are responsible for the staffing shortfall," officials noted.

So a company that wants to pay the ceo a trillion dollars can't be bothered to hire a few people to respond to customer emails. Got it. 

https://courthousenews.com/

Drinkable water from the sky — A solar device condenses 1.5 liters straight out of air

I'm sensing a theme here. There are very many companies and individuals attacking a challenge related to one of our most basic needs: access to clean drinking water. 

Here's yet another group of individuals who have come up with a solar powered device that can pull a liter of water from the air using solar.  

https://www.ecoportal.net/en/drinkable-water-air-sky-a-solar-device/13512/

Floridians are hurtling towards economic disaster • Florida Phoenix

That's not good…

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/10/20/floridians-are-hurtling-towards-economic-disaster/

Just in time for Halloween

Disney's imagineering series takes a look behind the scenes in the haunted mansion

https://youtu.be/CXLICqOYoh0?si=i4z3sxZlC4Rm_nda

And of course you can see my retrospective in it here:

Episode 70: The Haunted Mansion
https://youtu.be/2Esfyq-gxXc

China lights 12,000 desert mirrors…

China is tinkering with heliostats (mirrors used to collect solar energy) and think they've come up with an innovation, by using sand - rather than water - to get heated and provide the steam that can be used to provide energy. 

Many countries have been playing with this concept over the years, but while

They have found success, the biggest problems were the amount of water required made it costly, and of course there was the cost to build and maintain it. 

Arizona until recently had a similar sort of farm, but they announced it will be closing due to federal subsidies being withdrawn AND because the cost of more traditional solar has decreased to the point where its much more cost effective.

But, as always, I love to see innovation happening. 

https://www.ecoportal.net/en/china-12000-desert-mirrors-grid-solar/13536/

CEO writes hundreds of thank you notes to staff and still eats in the break room—which ‘always, for whatever reason, blows new employees away’

It's all fine and nice that he thanks employees and that he acts like a regular guy.  

But never forget that his compensation package was $4.92 million, which puts him at nearly 80x the salary of the best paid employees (the general managers). 

If you really wanted to be "one of the team," then how about only being 10x the salary and spreading the rest around to the staff?

Just saying. 

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/1-billion-ceo-writes-hundreds-090000101.html

Fact check much?

The first module of the ISS was launched in 1998. So ummmm. Yeah. 

To be fair, on a shuttle mission in 1985, Rodolfo Neri Vela requested tortillas travel aboard the *space shuttle*. 

And tortillas have been a staple in space ever since. But the headline is still wrong. 

On immigration

I have been tracking 4 items related to the "immigration crackdowns" that are happening. 

First is the simple notion that mobilizing troops is necessary for some reason.  And some will tell you its to try and legitimize attacks on democratic-leaning cities and states.  If they can provoke a response, then they can impose more (illegal) restrictions and further their cause.  But seeing the costumes - especially the frogs! - meeting troops is uplifting.  The pushback is, indeed, peaceful.  And dare I say, awesome.

Second, the troops that have been deployed (again, likely illegally) into some cities - particularly Oregon - are being denied access to some things, such as the use of restrooms and being served in restaurants, with the owners invoking the 3rd amendment.  This amendment is considered the least controversial of the amendments and rarely comes up.  But here we are, and I am all for it.

The Third Amendment (Amendment III) to the United States Constitution places restrictions on the quartering of soldiers in private homes without the owner's consent, forbidding the practice in peacetime. The amendment was a response to the Quartering Acts passed by the Parliament of Great Britain during the buildup to the American Revolutionary War, which had allowed the British Army to lodge soldiers in public buildings.

Third is the way that immigrants are treated by ICE and related agencies.  The constitution calls for limits and delineates "cruel and unusual punishment" as expressly forbidden.  How is breaking in someone's door (without a warrant), using tear gas, dragging people out in whatever they happen to be wearing, and zip tying children anything other than cruel and unusual?

And finally, there is this nugget about Noem and how she appears to be mis-using funds with her hate mongering advertising. 

"This appears to be a flagrant violation of Sec. 715, which states 'No part of any funds appropriated in this or any other act shall be used by an agency of the executive to branch for the preparation, distribution or use of any film presentation designed to support or defeat legislation pending before the Congress, except in presentation to the Congress itself,'" Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal wrote in the letter to DHS citing a section from the Anti-Lobbying Act. 

https://abc7news.com/post/democrats-want-investigation-secretary-homeland-security-kristi-noems-tsa-video-blamed-shutdown/18018313/#

And I know I said four, but I have a bonus item that isn't specifically about immigration.  You have Noem acting as the head of FEMA, and using the position to curry political favor.  She has implemented a "kiss the ring in order to get something" policy ... and as a primary example, there were funds allocated to the west coast of Florida to fix a pier ravished by a hurricane last year (ie, before T-rump took office). She would not release the funds .... until a large political donor who lives there called and asked for the money.

Good luck to any community that doesn't have a resident large donor, one who doesn't have her on speed dial.  

Exercising our rights!

This past weekend, we had another "No Kings" protest.  I wasn't able to attend one due to other commitments, but I sent my (ahem) thoughts and prayers along to friends who did go.  And they - as well as the press - tell us that it was an overwhelmingly positive experience.  From small towns to big cities, hundreds of thousands showed up to voice their displeasure with what's happening in our world.  And this dissatisfaction continues to grow, which is positive.

Of course, Speaker of the House (and a man noted for having a nose that is seriously brown) opted to call these peaceful protestors "terrorists" ... you know because the ability to express our 1st amendment rights doesn't rate in his book.

Pam Bondi (yet another sycophant) also had choice words about protestors using words like ":anti American" and talked of arrests and such.  Because nothing says "I'm helping uphold the constitution" like threatening citizens.

But this is how we defeat this sort of tyranny.  By exercising our inalienable rights.

The BS we get fed constantly.

There's this weird thing going on (among the many things). It's this idea that we should always live in fear. That the boogeyman will get us. 

I follow some of these people who talk about "ugly Americans" and the things they hear from some of those among us who travel outside the country. 

And I pay attention to the messaging we get sometimes here at home. 

The comments often focus on this notion of "personal protection" and not appreciating that other countries don't have an equivalent of the second amendment, and frankly don't feel the need to arm themselves. The locals in the countries mostly coexist and (with a few notable exceptions) feel safe and live their lives. Of course, there are occasions where things go wrong. But when they do, it garners a serious discussion and there is public outrage. Not simply thoughts and prayers, but an outpouring of emotion. Elected folks actively care about the people they represent and don't have to kowtow to a lobbying group that essentially promotes mass murder. It's weird, man. 

And then there's the messaging. If you watch the news, or use many of the social media platforms, you see a lot of the same mindset is prevalent. We talk about the right to open carry weapons of war (subtly as merely a means to intimidate) and there are fairly constant ads about how to protect yourself with your trusty gun. They often feature a person in a hoodie who looks threatening and there's an ominous tone. What is that?  Why is that?  The rest of the world doesn't seem to live in fear of literally anyone, yet here its a problem. 

And it extends into other things too.  We have ads that talk about how illegals are doing bad things! And we need to stop it! By rounding them up in the most ridiculous way possible. (Because you know, someone who maybe overstayed their visa but is making a go of it and even paying taxes is just a bad person, unlike the people who steal from others or commit mass murders). 

It's crazy when you stop and think about it. 

Those dolphins…

Back in August I linked to a USA Today prediction about the dolphins season. 

https://bitchindave.blogspot.com/2025/08/usa-today-predicts.html

I agreed with it. But at 1-6, and in free-fall, with a lost locker room … that seems overly optimistic. 

I can't see how they go 4-6 the rest of the way. 

And that $100+ million contract showered on Tua is not looking like it was a good move (duh. I told you so) 

Are you kidding me?!

Treason much?  Not that anyone cares. 

Invention that turns air into drinking water wins a Nobel Prize

There have been several stories about scientists finding innovative ways to extract clean drinking water from air. 

And here's another one, but with a twist. Omar Yaghi of UC Berkeley has won a Nobel prize for his work in the field. He's using a porous metal to harvest water, and he's proven its ability well enough for other scientists to note the remarkable achievement.  

https://inspenet.com/en/noticias/technology-to-obtain-drinking-water-won-a-nobel-prize-for-a-scientist/

Archaeologists Recruited a Group of Amateurs—and Uncovered a Collection of Roman Treasures

What's not to love? A group of amateurs that included school kids, families, and assorted others went on a hunt for treasure in England. And quickly found some. 

Fun stuff. 

Archaeologists Recruited Amateurs—and Uncovered Roman Treasures https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a68990619/group-of-amateurs-roman-treasures/

New Alzheimer's Treatment Clears Plaques From Brains of Mice Within Hours : ScienceAlert

This is a novel approach to finding an Alzheimer's treatment.  Scientists working in collaboration in China and Spain are looking at the blood brain barrier, to see if enhancing its protective boundary can help clear plaque.

And in early tests, using mice, they've had some success.  Meaning that this approach could have some potential to provide a new treatment option.  As they say, stay tuned…

One aside I will note is that it would seem (in general) more innovative research is happening outside of the US, which is feeling sad in many ways. 

https://www.sciencealert.com/new-alzheimers-treatment-clears-plaques-from-brains-of-mice-within-hours

james Webb Space Telescope

The telescope is an amazing leap forward, and it gives us a unique ability to understand our cosmos.

Over the last few months, there have been some amazing discoveries that I'd like to share:

1. They managed to capture the before and after of a supernova.  It was a fortuitous moment, but it will help us to understand how these events occur.
• 
2.  They captured two black holes orbiting each other; something that had never been detected previously.
• 
3. Following the black hole notion, they saw a black hole that "tore through" a galaxy and left a scar.
• 
4. Astronomers think they have found a new kind of dark energy, and in this case, they believe it powers a star - contrary to what we thought we knew about dark energy
• 
5. NASA made an estimate of the size of a celestial object (3I/Atlas - one of those "mystery objects" we detected).  The JWST looked at it more closely and the astronomers determined it was much larger than they estimated; it’s nearly twice as big as earth. And, they were able to obtain chemical readings of the object, in order to better assess & understand what it is.
• 
  

Its truly amazing what we are able to do and see using this telescope.

ESPN

I watched a video this morning about the rise and fall of ESPN. It was interesting and covered all the broad points, talked about how they changed their model from a financial standpoint (moving from a cable model to streaming), how the studio shows and hosts changed with the times (more discussion, and more social-media focused), and how they've paid more to get rights to games. 

Honestly, I thought it was pretty even in the way they laid it out.

However, there were a series of comments attached to the video that explained in MAGA-related terms why ESPN failed! 

In summary:

• They are "woke" (yeah, this was a comment on several times)
• They went away from just focusing on the scores of games, and have too many "stories"
• They are actively engaged in politics 
• "Disney" (several comments related to how Disney messed it all up)
• They cover non-mainstream sports
• They try to fan the flames of this, that, or the other 

I'm thinking to myself that it's interesting that Dan Le Batard was at one point the most popular host on the network, and he talked about politics a lot - he got  admonished for it, and was later removed by Disney in spite of his popularity. So I think you can simply ignore that line of reasoning.  Disney has its faults (no doubt!) but they're running it like a sporting behemoth should, I think.  Lots of content that appeals to very many people, and (as much as I hate it), including information about betting because its what people want. (and to be fair, their price point for the streaming service is absurd, but they are giving viewers lots of sports)

And as to the other stuff?  Well of course "woke" is just a word like "idiocy."  But what became clear was that commetors didn't like the fact that there are women and african american hosts! (the horror!). They didn't like the fact that they talked about anything related to race or a general sort of equity *in the context of the story*.  And they didn't like the fact that they're covering things like the WNBA. Racism and misogyny on full display!

Because, according to the context, their love of sport is about their team, and those gladiators.  I would summarize the general thought as athletes need to "just shut up and dribble." 

Its wild to see things through their eyes sometimes.

Book club?

My not-at-all-religious mom was telling me that someone invited her to Bible study "anytime she'd like" ... she politely declined.

My response to her was a little more snarky "oh you have a book club! But no thanks, because you keep talking about the same book week after week."

This is somethin’

I somehow missed this…

…what an absolute buffoon…

Caeli Energie has invented responsible “aircon” - Grenoble INP - UGA

A nice bit of innovation using thermodynamics to cool the air. Yeah maybe it's not quite what we think of as "ice cold a/c" but applying thermodynamic principles to cool the air efficiently, cheaply, and at a lower cost to the environment is a huge leap forward. 

Caeli Energie has invented responsible "aircon" - Grenoble INP - UGA https://www.grenoble-inp.fr/en/companies/caeli-energie-has-invented-responsible-%e2%80%9caircon%e2%80%9d

And a review 

https://www.philaplace.org/lifestyle/goodbye-traditional-ac-new-technology-uses-5-times-less-energy-and-delivers-4-times-more-cooling-48837/

Michelle Obama's Girls Opportunity Alliance rallying $2.5M for grassroots education

This news item caught my attention. Michelle Obama was engaged and involved in the idea of betterment throughout her 8 years as the First Lady. Eat healthier, and think sustainably. Promote education. 

And sadly, she was mostly panned for doing so by the GOP (mostly for racist reasons). 

And even after she left the White House, she continues to do much the same thing. She's doing it because she wants to, and because she believes in the core message. 

And I have to ask what the current presidents wife is doing, did during his first term, during the 4 years in between, or really at any point in her life. 

I have no idea if she actually stands for anything at all, mostly because we never hear anything from her.  Surely it's partly her, but there is also a misogynist husband, who presumably wants her to be subservient and quiet. 

The difference between these two women could not be more clear.  

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/michelle-obamas-girls-opportunity-alliance-rallying-25-million-126426940

From potato to chip: The next chapter of Lay’s

Lay's is making a big to-do about making some changes to their products, and more specially the packaging. 

On the one hand they note that 

42% of people who enjoy Lay's don't realize they're made with real, farm-grown potatoes.

Which would suggest that people are stupid. So they are hilighting the potato on their packaging. Which, if you look at any packaging they've used in the last 30 years always has shown potatoes on them… so I'm not sure how that helps. 

And on the other hand, it's clear that they are dancing around the fringes of the dunderhead in health and human services wants in his quest to reduce food dyes and additives. They don't mention this specifically, but they do want to be more transparent. So sure, sure. 

It's just weird that they made such a big splash and the media ate it up. (See what I did there?)

https://www.pepsico.com/our-stories/story/from-potato-to-chip-the-next-chapter-of-lays

Crypto world, buckle up for the rug-pull of all time

I am aware that this article is opinion and not necessarily news, but the underlying point is solid: crypto being "decentralized" doesn't mean it can't be manipulated in some ways.  A few bad actors could theoretically move wealth from the many to the few. 

https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/5548075-crypto-rug-pull-warning/

Trump administration issues layoff notices to more than 4,000 workers during government shutdown

Pursuant to my previous post about reducing the federal work force, here you go …

  https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1mxd1g71vxo

This has been on my mind for a while now...

I'm amazed at how a certain segment of the population doesn't believe in science, and in particular, how vaccines became a bad thing.  From the dunderhead who currently heads up health and human services on down to the trolls who "do their own research," for some reason vaccines are to be avoided and shouldn't even be in the public purview because .... reasons! 

But yet, these same folks clamor for drugs that they are "told" are miracles, like taking ivermectin as a cure all, despite it having never been tested for efficacy for reasons that make no sense.

Or these drugs you see advertised on TV that may treat some rare thing, but also may cause death, are widely accepted and people clamor for them.  And for things like Ozempic, which causes weight loss *for as long as you take it* as a true side effect of what the drug is intended for, makes people want it as a miracle weight loss drug.

Why is this so hard for people to understand.  Science looks at the small details, the facts, and not hyperbole, wild claims, or other crazy bits of information. And in some cases, protects us from nature itself.  But yet, people seem to think that what matters is that catchy tune that makes everything sound wonderful, even if its not.

It’s no wonder people steer clear of financial advisor types

In summary: a professional football player in Miami used the services of Merrill Lynch in South Florida. The person who was serving as his advisor was actively enriching himself from the players money through a series of shady transactions, and laundering money through a third party - that the player had never met or authorized.

The advisor was arrested and faces restitution and significant jail time.  And Merrill Lynch has agreed to pay about 3x what was stolen, and essentially (paraphrasing from their publci statements) "hopes to do better in the future."

And surely other people who were managed by the same person had money stolen, too. What of them? 

Merrill Lynch Pays $9.5 Million to Settle FINRA Arbitration Brought by Former NFL Star Reshad Jones https://www.iorio.law/blog/merrill-lynch-reshad-jones-fraud-settlement/

Innovative Membrane Technology Promises Access to Clean Water

Here's another approach to providing drinkable water, a commodity that much of the world doesn't have access to. In this case, it's about a desalinization method, meaning salty water can be made drinkable in a fairly low cost way. 

By applying an ultra-thin, electrically conductive coating on top of the membrane and then charging the surface with low voltage, the salt ions and other charged species in the water are pushed away from the membrane surface, reducing scaling and fouling.

Innovative Membrane Technology Promises Access to Clean Water - Tech Briefs https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/53623-innovative-membrane-technology-promises-access-to-clean-water

#BanOpenCarry #PublixSafety

Dear Publix leadership … I urge you to ban open carry at all Publix grocery stores.  By allowing open carry at Publix, I feel as though you have betrayed my community.  Open carry doesn't make me feel safe; it makes me feel threatened.  I don't want to feel intimidated when I go grocery shopping.  I especially don't want to be put in a chaotic situation in which one can't determine if someone is a good guy with a gun or a bad guy with a gun.  Yes, I do have to drive further to shop at other grocery stores, but my need to feel safe when I shop outweighs my desire for convenience.  

Reducing the federal work force

Sometimes things just feel "off"… T-rump came into office with the stated goal of reducing the size of the fr federal government. He leveraged musk to do some fiddling and reduce some of the workers. 

Then it got to the point of being problematic and the courts intervened. 

…and then came the government shutdown.  And let's be honest, this is all on T-rump. It's ostensibly as a means to get some budgetary things he wants through pouting and manipulation of people around him. 

But here's the oddity: he is saying that almost no one who was furloughed (I believe with the exception of the military) will receive back pay for the time they're away from their job. It's a form of what businesses do when they want people to quit: make their lives miserable. 

And maybe I'm dreaming a little, except that I also read that federal workers will see their insurance premiums double next year, eating into their take home pay. They'll be taking a pay cut when they do return. 

Hence, it sure feels like the intent is to get people to leave their jobs in order to reduce that workforce. 

As they say…prove me wrong. I may be. But it's awfully coincidental and convenient. 

High school students create award-winning invention to solve major health crisis: 'We plan to create this into a real business'

Another group of budding young scientists have come up with a way to remove microplastics from water. And they want to scale it in order to actually help with the problem. 

And you have to love this part:

"We brought in some more people to help us with the engineering part of it," explained Swayam Sanghvi, who learned of the dangers that microplastics pose to human health from his mother, a doctor, according to the Midvale Journal. "One of our teammates knew about electrical engineering and soldering, another knew how to work with Arduino; we learned from each other." 

https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/portable-microplastic-filter-inventors-utah/

EU commits $638 million to scale up renewables in nine African countries | Business Insider Africa

I love that the EU is investing in a future, rather than focusing on colonization-related activities. Grow the infrastructure. Learn more about things we can be doing.  Create some jobs.  And build a better future for mankind. 

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/markets/eu-commits-dollar638-million-to-scale-up-renewables-in-nine-african-countries/064b30f

Scientists manage to convert toxic plastics into fuel - Earth.com

The article is a little thin on details, and the original publication is a bit technical… but conceptually I am intrigued. 

They break down PVC using a chemical reaction by placing the plastic in a solution at room temperature. The result is a combustible fuel source and hydrochloric acid, which they can separate and capture for other uses. 

In a peer-reviewed article published in the journal Science, researchers describe a one step route that converts mixed plastic waste into gasoline range hydrocarbons and hydrochloric acid (HCI) at low temperatures.

https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-manage-to-convert-toxic-plastics-into-fuel-with-95-percent-efficiency/

Prince Harry says he wants to work at Disneyland

With all of the ridiculous stories we hear about every day, this one made me smile. Prince Harry is looking for that simple way of life. 

Prince Harry says he wants to work at Disneyland – The Mercury News https://www.ocregister.com/2025/09/26/prince-harry-says-he-wants-to-work-at-disneyland/

'Grue Jay' Spotted in a Texas Backyard Is First-of-Its-Kind Hybrid

Here is some additional detail about the hybrid green and blue jay…

'Grue Jay' Spotted in a Texas Backyard Is First-of-Its-Kind Hybrid : ScienceAlert https://www.sciencealert.com/grue-jay-spotted-in-a-texas-backyard-is-first-of-its-kind-hybrid

That’s bizarre. Mark Sanchez edition.

On Saturday, there was a news story that the former jets QB was involved in some sort of altercation in Indianapolis late on Friday night, where he was in town to broadcast the colts game on Sunday. 

The story was that he was stabbed, but was fortunate to get immediate care and was taken to the hospital. Police immediately noted the attack didn't seem to be random and he may have been involved in a fight about something specific. 

A few hours later, adding literal insult to injury, police charged Sanchez with a crime, but didn't place him under arrest while he was recovering. Small details started to emerge about him being the intoxicated aggressor and somehow he was trying to enter someone's car. 

It's all just weird. 

Not that it's exactly relevant, but would it surprise you to learn he's a supporter of the orange menace? (And while I'm on that topic, Sanchez is listed as 6'2" and he towers over tiny hands man in his platform shoes and he weighs about 225 for reference). 

In any case, here is his greatest play. Ever. 

Oh and one other thing: I wonder what the broadcast will do about a replacement. I'd be happy to step in. Just saying. 

On Elon Musk

You may have noticed that he comes up a lot in things I have to say.  And I thought I'd take a moment and explain why.  

No doubt he's a lightning rod, but its more than that.  He's a modern day Thomas Edison to some degree.  He takes ideas from others and helps them to grow them, but then focuses attention on himself as "the guy" even though its mostly smoke and mirrors.  He may be smart, but he didn't invent the things that are attributed to him.

He's kind of got an evil genius thing going on, and maybe you could equate him to Lex Luthor from Superman. 

He started with some money from dad, and has managed to parlay that to be one of the worlds richest (and most recognizable) people.  

Maybe many people are over him in general, though he certainly gets a lot of "love" because of his wealth, and because he's "not afraid to speak his mind" (ie, act a little crazy, maybe).

But by many accounts, he's not a good person.  We heard reports that his father was racist, and there are certainly whispers that he is too.  It appears as though hes a misogynist too.  There was the nazi salute.  The drug use.  The absurd braggadocio.    

To me, though, the deal breaker is his family life. He has multiple children from multiple different women - that is what it is.  But he is at least guilty by association of being aligned with people who deride this from people who are not white.  And he has disowned HIS OWN child, when they identified as trans.  Everything else aside, that is inexcusable.  Its your child.  You love them unconditionally, and don't act like an ass hat when it comes to them.

So I continue to mention him because I loathe what he stands for.

Rewards programs

Remember when companies had programs that rewarded loyalty?  When companies wanted you to come in and use their product, buy their food, etc?  And the rewards programs were all about bringing you back?

So quaint.  Now, its all about spend!  

For my discussion, I'm going to talk about a few food loyalty programs.  

Starbucks at one point gave you points for buying drinks and food.  And the exchange was pretty good.  You could earn a free drink or food item after a few visits.  But then they switched it, so the points were based on how much you spent.  Then they increased the number so you had to spend more to get anything. And they added expiration to points so that you HAVE TO spend more if you want that free item.

Several companies changed from a simple means of getting points with a purchase to having to store a credit card in their app, and when you buy something using that card they'll give you points.  Which I suppose may be "easier" in a way, but isn't very consumer friendly.  And I'd rather not store a credit card in an easy to hack location, thank you.

Some, like Red Robin, used to have a loyalty program that would give you a free meal on your birthday.  It was good on anything on the menu and could be used in-restaurant or for takeout.  Then, they switched it to dine in only. Then, they added a minimum spend to get the reward.  Then, they added a requirement that you have to spend $10 during the year to get the same reward.  And I see now that they no longer have a free meal, its a free shake.  The value proposition went away, completely.

And then there was this change to the Wetzel's program .It was  previously a free pretzel for your birthday. And the email still says that it is. Except that its actually a $5 credit, and pretzels are $7.  

The nonsense about the space shuttle

This has been on my mind for a while now.

NASA had 5 space shuttles in their fleet that had actually been in orbit. 

Two of them had "rapid unexpected disassembly" during their lifetime:

Challenger  was lost in an accident 1986

Columbia was lost in an accident 2003

Leaving 3 to find homes after the shuttle program wound down.  I'll get to those in a moment.

There were also 4 other vehicles that were not used in space, and which require a little explanation because they "look like" a real shuttle.

Ambassador  was a scale model built to get an idea of the size of the vehicle before they built any "real ones."  The exterior looked right, but it had no other features.  This model was dismantled in the early 1990s and its whereabouts are unknown.

Inspiration was the first full scale mockup built.  It was a prototype of sorts, and had all the dimensions - interior and exterior right, and even had some simulated control panels.  It was sold, and is privately owned.  There is a plan for it to go on display in Downey, CA "soon"

Enterprise was an airworthy mockup.  It was used as a prototype in its flight characteristics and ability to land it on a runway.  While it didn't go into space, it was as close to the real thing you could get.  It was sold to the intrepid museum in New York.

Explorer This was a full scale replica, which I believe was built by Ringling Brothers (or perhaps it was only owned by them at some point).  It used all the blueprints  and plans in its design.  It had a flight deck with controls, a fabric covering, and some faux heat tiles.  It was on display at Kennedy space center until 2000, and I got to get the complete tour of it.  It LOOKED like a shuttle.  There was nothing about it that made it feel incomplete.  It just wasn't designed to go into space.  But if you didn't know, you might not know.  In fact, I remember people seeing it and thinking it was real.  

When Kennedy Space Center's visitor center was enhanced, this mockup was moved to Johnson and renamed Independence. I'm not sure of its ownership but NASA has it on display there, even today.  It is not a shuttle that flew in space, but, again, you wouldn't know unless you know. 

And then we have the remaining three that flew in space:

Atlantis - was left at Kennedy space center after its last mission and is housed in an exhibition building.

Endeavor - after a bidding process, this vehicle was sold to the California science center (in Los Angeles), where it is on display.

 

Discovery -  was "donated" to the Smithsonian

In summary, of the 9 total shuttles that were created from mockups to actual flight worthy machines, you have 3 that are no longer around, 3 that were sold to private organizations, 1 that is part of the Smithsonian collection, and the remaining 2 are owned by NASA.

Some politicians would like a "real one" at the Johnson Space Center, which is weird because they have one there that is as close to real as you can get.  The only other one they control is the one at Kennedy Space Center. 

The Smithsonian is not under the purview or control of NASA, and congress has no authority over their collection, so in a way its like its in a private collection.

So all of this rhetoric and angst is a big show about literally nothing.  Its stupid and makes no sense at all.  The time to have this discussion was a decade or more ago when they were deciding what to do with the shuttles. 

The cost to move any of these at this point is off the charts and serves no purpose.