In my garage, an old Corvette resides.
It's more than 30 years old.
Under the hood.......the biggest engine ever put into a Corvette.
When Big Bubba was born, I had no idea he would separate me from this car. But when he got his driver's license, my insurance company notified me I could continue to drive the old "plastic pig" if I would simply submit $2000 premium for 6 months coverage!
The car has been dormant in the garage for years.
Vettes don't really fall into the "exotic" category because at their heart, they are Chevrolets. They can be bought for less than half the cost of cars in their class.
But they are still "performance" cars, and you don't see them all that frequently.....particularly the older ones.
While I was still driving my car, folks would pull up next to me and flash me a "thumbs up". It looks great, and has the engine displacement displayed on the hood, so discerning folks know this car is a rare version amongst other Vettes of the same vintage.
My first date with Sara Jean happened in the Vette. She loved riding in it.........enjoyed the attention it attracted.........couldn't wait to drive it!
One day, with proper instructions on what to do, and more importantly, what NOT to do, I let her drive it to work.
She didn't ask to drive the car again!
We take for granted how wonderful our newer cars are today. Quiet, comfortable riding, great radio, air conditioned, intermittent windshield wipers, six-way heated seats!
The old Vette rides like a Log truck, creaks and complains over rough roads, is noisy enough that the radio is background noise.
On your best behavior, it gets 13 miles to the gallon on PREMIUM gas!
I love going to car shows to see old and custom cars and talk with the folks that lovingly restore and care for them. But when you see a nice '57 Chevy convertible, remember that it came with an AM radio, and when you started uphill, the vacuum windshield wipers would quit when you needed them most! Driving older cars is work!
As they get older and more valuable, these cars become less and less practical to drive. Our 30+ year old Vette is probably now in that category. When Big Bubba finally moves out from under our roof, I'll have a decision to make.
But by then, I may be able to buy a new Vette for what the old "Big Block" will bring!
(Ssshhhh! Don't let it hear that!)
13 June 2005
11 June 2005
10 June 2005
Communicating
"Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus".
I read it. You should too.
Made me laugh out loud!
The thing the author said that impacted me most was that when women talk, they are just expressing themselves and want others to listen.
Men however are "fixers". When a woman talks about something that could be considered a problem, men think they are being asked to make it better. Therefore, men frequently think women are nagging, when actually women are just talking to hear the sound of their own voice!
(Just kiddin', Sara Jean!)
But women ARE better communicators. With few exceptions, men don't express themselves as well as women.
I have always been a letter writer. After I was drafted into the Army, letters became one of the most important things in my life. Later, Mom and Dad and I bought tape recorders and sent 30 minute tapes back and forth, but even during this time, we continued to send letters now and then.
Letters to family were answered quickly. Letters to women were dependably answered. Letters to men were frequently ignored by the recipient!
Home from Viet Nam, the telephone became our main means of communicating. Obviously, telephones are immediate, and you get the benefit of hearing more than just the words......tone, cadence, inflection, emphasis.......things you have to work at to express in a letter. But when you hang up the phone, all you have is the memory. Letters can be re-read and re-re-read.
Now comes email.
I don't know what I would do without email!
Nearly instant.......Easy.......Free!
One of the things I love about email is that it's not a telephone!
(Duh, huh?)
When the telephone rings, you have got to drop what you're doin' and answer. Nothing irritates me more than to stop doing something I wanted to do in order to answer the telephone, only to find someone on the other end I didn't want to share my time with........sellers, politicians, survey takers, bores.
Sara Jean LOVES to talk on the phone! She can literally spend hours talking with friends and relatives........giggling and laughing!
Me.........."Greybeard here. Yeah..... No...... Okay........ Bye!" Done!
I got an answering machine for the phone. Some folks are uncomfortable leaving a message.
Too bad.
My time is important enough I don't want to be talking with someone about my long distance service or aluminum siding! Friends and relatives will identify themselves......we're screening the calls, and we'll pick up when we hear your voice.
Otherwise, when we listen to the messages, we know you called and will call back!
It took Sara Jean a while to acclimate to the machine. She'd answer the phone, and then hand it to me so I could tell the caller I didn't need a magazine subscription! She has finally seen the light and allows the machine do its' job!
But email!
I check mine two, three, six times a day! And it doesn't irritate me! It waits patiently in the ether until I turn on the computer and ask it to speak to me! Viagra and other irritating ads are easily and immediately eliminated! Important stuff can be put on hard copy for later reading/sharing!
I'm surprised at the reluctance I still see to computers and email. Relatives and friends that I love dearly have refused my offer to buy them Webtv or a computer just so I could communicate with them via email! I don't know if this is a fear of not being able to learn the skill to use them, or if they just don't want the complication that having the technology in their homes would bring. But they steadfastly refuse my offer, then complain that I don't "stay in touch"!
A couple weeks ago we emailed relatives we would be in their town staying with other relatives, and suggested they get in touch with us while we were there so we could get together. They later expressed anger with us because we hadn't called to tell them we'd be there. They have two computers at home and access to email at work, yet didn't get the message we sent. When I told them I had emailed, they said, "I don't have time to mess with it"!
But they have time to mess with the telephone!
I was thinking the other day about the impact of telephones,
and maybe to a larger degree.....email, on history.
If we want to know about the relationship Thomas Jefferson had with John Adams, we can go back and read the letters they exchanged.
Telephone conversations are gone when the receiver is back in the cradle.
I seldom make copies of corrrespondence I receive via email.
Future generations will have a much more difficult time trying to piece together the history of our times!
When I go back and read letters I sent home from Viet Nam, I realize progress has its' costs!
I read it. You should too.
Made me laugh out loud!
The thing the author said that impacted me most was that when women talk, they are just expressing themselves and want others to listen.
Men however are "fixers". When a woman talks about something that could be considered a problem, men think they are being asked to make it better. Therefore, men frequently think women are nagging, when actually women are just talking to hear the sound of their own voice!
(Just kiddin', Sara Jean!)
But women ARE better communicators. With few exceptions, men don't express themselves as well as women.
I have always been a letter writer. After I was drafted into the Army, letters became one of the most important things in my life. Later, Mom and Dad and I bought tape recorders and sent 30 minute tapes back and forth, but even during this time, we continued to send letters now and then.
Letters to family were answered quickly. Letters to women were dependably answered. Letters to men were frequently ignored by the recipient!
Home from Viet Nam, the telephone became our main means of communicating. Obviously, telephones are immediate, and you get the benefit of hearing more than just the words......tone, cadence, inflection, emphasis.......things you have to work at to express in a letter. But when you hang up the phone, all you have is the memory. Letters can be re-read and re-re-read.
Now comes email.
I don't know what I would do without email!
Nearly instant.......Easy.......Free!
One of the things I love about email is that it's not a telephone!
(Duh, huh?)
When the telephone rings, you have got to drop what you're doin' and answer. Nothing irritates me more than to stop doing something I wanted to do in order to answer the telephone, only to find someone on the other end I didn't want to share my time with........sellers, politicians, survey takers, bores.
Sara Jean LOVES to talk on the phone! She can literally spend hours talking with friends and relatives........giggling and laughing!
Me.........."Greybeard here. Yeah..... No...... Okay........ Bye!" Done!
I got an answering machine for the phone. Some folks are uncomfortable leaving a message.
Too bad.
My time is important enough I don't want to be talking with someone about my long distance service or aluminum siding! Friends and relatives will identify themselves......we're screening the calls, and we'll pick up when we hear your voice.
Otherwise, when we listen to the messages, we know you called and will call back!
It took Sara Jean a while to acclimate to the machine. She'd answer the phone, and then hand it to me so I could tell the caller I didn't need a magazine subscription! She has finally seen the light and allows the machine do its' job!
But email!
I check mine two, three, six times a day! And it doesn't irritate me! It waits patiently in the ether until I turn on the computer and ask it to speak to me! Viagra and other irritating ads are easily and immediately eliminated! Important stuff can be put on hard copy for later reading/sharing!
I'm surprised at the reluctance I still see to computers and email. Relatives and friends that I love dearly have refused my offer to buy them Webtv or a computer just so I could communicate with them via email! I don't know if this is a fear of not being able to learn the skill to use them, or if they just don't want the complication that having the technology in their homes would bring. But they steadfastly refuse my offer, then complain that I don't "stay in touch"!
A couple weeks ago we emailed relatives we would be in their town staying with other relatives, and suggested they get in touch with us while we were there so we could get together. They later expressed anger with us because we hadn't called to tell them we'd be there. They have two computers at home and access to email at work, yet didn't get the message we sent. When I told them I had emailed, they said, "I don't have time to mess with it"!
But they have time to mess with the telephone!
I was thinking the other day about the impact of telephones,
and maybe to a larger degree.....email, on history.
If we want to know about the relationship Thomas Jefferson had with John Adams, we can go back and read the letters they exchanged.
Telephone conversations are gone when the receiver is back in the cradle.
I seldom make copies of corrrespondence I receive via email.
Future generations will have a much more difficult time trying to piece together the history of our times!
When I go back and read letters I sent home from Viet Nam, I realize progress has its' costs!
Viet Nam Snacks
"Here Greybeard, take my picture when I tell ya...."
And Warrant Officer Moe handed me his polaroid camera.
In his hand he held a can of "French's" Shoestring Potatoes.
The opening in the can was just slightly too small for a man to insert his hand.
Moe turned the label so the brand could easily be read, stuck his hand in top, made a terrible grimacing face, and said, "Okay, now!"
"Click........buzz", and out came the picture.
Moe then wrote a letter to French's.........
"Dear French's,
After a long day flying here in Viet Nam, there is nothing I look forward to more than returning to my quarters and enjoying a can of your wonderful shoestring potatoes with an ice cold beverage!
They are a tasty, quality product!
I do, however have one complaint........
My hands are too large to fit into the opening in the top of the can.
(Please see enclosed photo.)
I waste a small percentage of product from each can because I cannot reach it through the small opening!
Can you make the opening larger?"
He then signed the letter, included the picture, and sent it to the address listed on the can.
Two weeks later, a large package came from French's with this letter:
"Dear W01 Moe:
Thank you for pointing out what is obviously a serious problem with our packaging!
We immediately turned your letter over to our research and development people for review.
After much study and research, they think they have come up with a solution to your dilemma:
Extend your left hand out, palm up, about waist high.
Grasp the can of our product with your right hand, and carefully invert it over your left palm until a satisfactory amount of shoestring potatoes comes out.
Repeat as necessary until the can is empty.
Sincerely,
The French's Company
P.S. Everyone here got the biggest laugh out of your letter.........we thank you for your attention, and your service!
Enclosed, please find a case of French's Shoestring Potatoes.
We hope you enjoy them!"
And Moe was nice enough to share!
And Warrant Officer Moe handed me his polaroid camera.
In his hand he held a can of "French's" Shoestring Potatoes.
The opening in the can was just slightly too small for a man to insert his hand.
Moe turned the label so the brand could easily be read, stuck his hand in top, made a terrible grimacing face, and said, "Okay, now!"
"Click........buzz", and out came the picture.
Moe then wrote a letter to French's.........
"Dear French's,
After a long day flying here in Viet Nam, there is nothing I look forward to more than returning to my quarters and enjoying a can of your wonderful shoestring potatoes with an ice cold beverage!
They are a tasty, quality product!
I do, however have one complaint........
My hands are too large to fit into the opening in the top of the can.
(Please see enclosed photo.)
I waste a small percentage of product from each can because I cannot reach it through the small opening!
Can you make the opening larger?"
He then signed the letter, included the picture, and sent it to the address listed on the can.
Two weeks later, a large package came from French's with this letter:
"Dear W01 Moe:
Thank you for pointing out what is obviously a serious problem with our packaging!
We immediately turned your letter over to our research and development people for review.
After much study and research, they think they have come up with a solution to your dilemma:
Extend your left hand out, palm up, about waist high.
Grasp the can of our product with your right hand, and carefully invert it over your left palm until a satisfactory amount of shoestring potatoes comes out.
Repeat as necessary until the can is empty.
Sincerely,
The French's Company
P.S. Everyone here got the biggest laugh out of your letter.........we thank you for your attention, and your service!
Enclosed, please find a case of French's Shoestring Potatoes.
We hope you enjoy them!"
And Moe was nice enough to share!
09 June 2005
Uninsured Americans
We continually hear the bleat about people having no medical insurance. We are headed inexorably toward socialized medicine in the U.S..
In the E.R. in most U.S. hospitals you will see a sign that informs you that the facility must give you treatment to stabilize your problem, then either treat you, or transfer you to a facility that can properly treat you. No one in the U.S. can be turned away for lack of ability to pay!
Nevertheless, I believe we will see our system socialized within the next ten years. When that happens, we'll probably follow the model set by the U.K..
David Asman, news anchor for Fox News, recently had first-hand experience with medicine in London when his wife suffered a stroke there. The link will take you to an article sharing his experience with that system, and the U.S. system when he returned here. It's an objective article, pointing out advantages and disadvantages in both systems.
I think it's worth your time:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110006785
UPDATE......RELATED, from that great Canadian system........
Here's where we're headed.
If you have the money, you'll get great, immediate treatment.
If not, wait in line, in pain, for a year!
The link:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050609.w2scoc0609/BNStory/National/
In the E.R. in most U.S. hospitals you will see a sign that informs you that the facility must give you treatment to stabilize your problem, then either treat you, or transfer you to a facility that can properly treat you. No one in the U.S. can be turned away for lack of ability to pay!
Nevertheless, I believe we will see our system socialized within the next ten years. When that happens, we'll probably follow the model set by the U.K..
David Asman, news anchor for Fox News, recently had first-hand experience with medicine in London when his wife suffered a stroke there. The link will take you to an article sharing his experience with that system, and the U.S. system when he returned here. It's an objective article, pointing out advantages and disadvantages in both systems.
I think it's worth your time:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110006785
UPDATE......RELATED, from that great Canadian system........
Here's where we're headed.
If you have the money, you'll get great, immediate treatment.
If not, wait in line, in pain, for a year!
The link:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050609.w2scoc0609/BNStory/National/
They're coming to America....
In the news yesterday, two stories of desperate people trying to make it to the country that runs "Modern Day Gulags".
First, Cubans attempt to cross the sea in a 1940's vintage taxi converted to a boat, (picture and video link) :
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8136908
Next, a lady in Long Island, New York, heard a loud "thump" when something struck the roof of a building in her back yard. Here's the story about what she found, with a poor picture:
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/317027p-271169c.html
Both stories are just another reminder that we are truly blessed to live where others are willing to take extraordinary risks to try to join us!
First, Cubans attempt to cross the sea in a 1940's vintage taxi converted to a boat, (picture and video link) :
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8136908
Next, a lady in Long Island, New York, heard a loud "thump" when something struck the roof of a building in her back yard. Here's the story about what she found, with a poor picture:
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/317027p-271169c.html
Both stories are just another reminder that we are truly blessed to live where others are willing to take extraordinary risks to try to join us!
08 June 2005
An Uncomfortable Subject
In my post about burns, I mentioned that in the Helicopter Ambulance, smells are a factor. For instance, if the patient moves his/her bowels, it's immediately known by everyone on board!
The R22 I train in is a MUCH smaller bird, so smells are a bigger factor when I'm teaching because I rub shoulders with the student.
What I want to talk about here is halitosis.
Bad breath.
No, make that BAAAAADDD breath!
A paramedic I work with is one of the sweetest, most caring people I have ever met. He knows his business and gives great care to our patients. But when we are on the outbound leg of our flight to pick up the patient, he invariably jumps into the front seat next to me. (This means he would be about as far away as he would be in a mid-size car like a Ford Taurus.)
Getting into the helicopter requires a little exertion, so he is breathing heavily as he enters, and his breath is SO bad, I am immediately uncomfortable!
(Why doesn't his wife tell him?)
I did a little searching......
A full 90% of the time, bad breath is caused by something called "gram negative anaerobic bacteria".
Wow!
It can also be caused, obviously, by dental decay or gum disease, or other medical conditions like carcinomas, diabetes, sinus problems, or menstruation! (And the list of possible causes goes on for about a mile from there!)
There is a direct correlation between bacteria in the mouth and cardiac problems. I'll not list the problems you expose yourself to if you're not brushing your teeth properly, but if you have halitosis or gum problems, you are greatly increasing your chances of having a heart attack.......did ya know that?!
I am as thick skinned as anyone you are likely to meet. If my breath was so bad that I was offensive, I'd want someone to tell me so I could take care of the problem!
But I realize others might be embarrassed having someone tell them they need to check into why their breath is causing people to leave the party early!
Do you know a "socially acceptable" way to handle this situation?
I'd love to hear it!
The R22 I train in is a MUCH smaller bird, so smells are a bigger factor when I'm teaching because I rub shoulders with the student.
What I want to talk about here is halitosis.
Bad breath.
No, make that BAAAAADDD breath!
A paramedic I work with is one of the sweetest, most caring people I have ever met. He knows his business and gives great care to our patients. But when we are on the outbound leg of our flight to pick up the patient, he invariably jumps into the front seat next to me. (This means he would be about as far away as he would be in a mid-size car like a Ford Taurus.)
Getting into the helicopter requires a little exertion, so he is breathing heavily as he enters, and his breath is SO bad, I am immediately uncomfortable!
(Why doesn't his wife tell him?)
I did a little searching......
A full 90% of the time, bad breath is caused by something called "gram negative anaerobic bacteria".
Wow!
It can also be caused, obviously, by dental decay or gum disease, or other medical conditions like carcinomas, diabetes, sinus problems, or menstruation! (And the list of possible causes goes on for about a mile from there!)
There is a direct correlation between bacteria in the mouth and cardiac problems. I'll not list the problems you expose yourself to if you're not brushing your teeth properly, but if you have halitosis or gum problems, you are greatly increasing your chances of having a heart attack.......did ya know that?!
I am as thick skinned as anyone you are likely to meet. If my breath was so bad that I was offensive, I'd want someone to tell me so I could take care of the problem!
But I realize others might be embarrassed having someone tell them they need to check into why their breath is causing people to leave the party early!
Do you know a "socially acceptable" way to handle this situation?
I'd love to hear it!
07 June 2005
Democrat Party....an Early Warning!
From Powerline:
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/010674.php
I think Veterans were the deciding factor in the '04 GWB victory.
Question is, will Democrats make the same mistake again?
So far, it looks like it!
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/010674.php
I think Veterans were the deciding factor in the '04 GWB victory.
Question is, will Democrats make the same mistake again?
So far, it looks like it!
How To Fly a Helicopter:
Five or six years ago, humorist Dave Barry wrote a column
on his first (and last?) helicopter flying lesson....
It was an absolute hoot!
I found it for your enjoyment:
http://home.earthlink.net/~michaelbmoore/Dave_Barry_Helicopter.html
on his first (and last?) helicopter flying lesson....
It was an absolute hoot!
I found it for your enjoyment:
http://home.earthlink.net/~michaelbmoore/Dave_Barry_Helicopter.html
06 June 2005
Everest Landing a Hoax?
Not sure yet what is true, but if the claim was a hoax, it's a considerable embarrassment for Eurocopter, who made a big deal of it!
Here's the link:
http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=85650&cat=Asia
Here's the link:
http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=85650&cat=Asia
Hindsight
Ole Prairie Dog sent me this link last week.
I finally got around to reading it this morning.
I don't read quickly, so it took me 15 minutes, but it was worth my time.
Compelling, on this 61st anniversary of D-Day!
I'm continually amazed at ignorance of history.........
even recent history, by people you know are not at all stupid!
Brit Hume's comments on "spinning" by others just reinforces my feelings about some commentators.
His comments about Kuwaiti oil are points I have made myself in discussions with family.
Read and see what you think:
http://www.hillsdale.edu/imprimis/2003/june/default.htm
I finally got around to reading it this morning.
I don't read quickly, so it took me 15 minutes, but it was worth my time.
Compelling, on this 61st anniversary of D-Day!
I'm continually amazed at ignorance of history.........
even recent history, by people you know are not at all stupid!
Brit Hume's comments on "spinning" by others just reinforces my feelings about some commentators.
His comments about Kuwaiti oil are points I have made myself in discussions with family.
Read and see what you think:
http://www.hillsdale.edu/imprimis/2003/june/default.htm
Burns
Two of our helicopters were launched to a small hospital 30 minutes to our South.......
"Your patient is a 34 year old man with burns to over 60 percent of his body."
Burns smell.
In the small space of the helicopter there is no way to avoid the smell.
Realizing the smell comes from the burned flesh of a human being, not some piece of meat ruined on a grill, makes the job difficult.
The story was heartbreaking:
Our patient, his brother, and his daughter were in a small car. The two men were seated in the front, daughter in the rear. They were on a two lane road, stopped, waiting on traffic to make a left turn.
They were struck from behind by another car traveling at a high rate of speed. Their car exploded. Both men were able to get out of the car.
Then they heard the screams of their daughter/niece.
Both men went back into roaring flames to try and extricate her.
They failed.
The hair on both these men was melted to their scalps. It reminded me of the "painted-on" hair of toy dolls with rubber heads that little girls played with when I was young.
Horrible.
These men were both in shock from the experience of trying to save the young girl. Their bodies were in trouble because burns this extensive begin to take a toll on the body.....trying to cleanse itself of all the toxins associated with the dead and dying tissue, liver and kidneys are overworked and fail.
Their prognosis was NOT good.
We took them to the burn center, where we knew they would get the best burn treatment available. Unfortunately, this wonderful treatment frequently just postpones the inevitable.
This was another case I didn't follow up on.
I didn't want to hear the answer, so I didn't ask the question.
"Your patient is a 34 year old man with burns to over 60 percent of his body."
Burns smell.
In the small space of the helicopter there is no way to avoid the smell.
Realizing the smell comes from the burned flesh of a human being, not some piece of meat ruined on a grill, makes the job difficult.
The story was heartbreaking:
Our patient, his brother, and his daughter were in a small car. The two men were seated in the front, daughter in the rear. They were on a two lane road, stopped, waiting on traffic to make a left turn.
They were struck from behind by another car traveling at a high rate of speed. Their car exploded. Both men were able to get out of the car.
Then they heard the screams of their daughter/niece.
Both men went back into roaring flames to try and extricate her.
They failed.
The hair on both these men was melted to their scalps. It reminded me of the "painted-on" hair of toy dolls with rubber heads that little girls played with when I was young.
Horrible.
These men were both in shock from the experience of trying to save the young girl. Their bodies were in trouble because burns this extensive begin to take a toll on the body.....trying to cleanse itself of all the toxins associated with the dead and dying tissue, liver and kidneys are overworked and fail.
Their prognosis was NOT good.
We took them to the burn center, where we knew they would get the best burn treatment available. Unfortunately, this wonderful treatment frequently just postpones the inevitable.
This was another case I didn't follow up on.
I didn't want to hear the answer, so I didn't ask the question.
05 June 2005
We Need to Know......
From U.S. News & World Report:
Mainstream media have been reluctant, in all the coverage of treatment of detainees at Guantanamo, to mention that the al Qaeda training manual specifically instructs all of its agents to make false claims of torture. The New York Times seems to have mentioned the manual's torture reference only once, in a short report from Australia. Several other papers mentioned it as a one-line quote from a military spokesman who pointed it out. But until the Washington Times ran a front-page piece last week, a Nexis search could find no clear and pointed article in the U.S. press like the one by Alasdair Palmer in the London Sunday Telegraph, with the headline "This is al Qaeda Rule 18: 'You must claim you were tortured.' " He wrote that the manual doesn't prove "that the Britons were not tortured in Guantanamo. But it ought to encourage some doubts about uncritically accepting that they were--which seems to be the attitude adopted by most of the media." Amen to both points in that last sentence."
The whole article is here:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/050613/13john.htm
Mainstream media have been reluctant, in all the coverage of treatment of detainees at Guantanamo, to mention that the al Qaeda training manual specifically instructs all of its agents to make false claims of torture. The New York Times seems to have mentioned the manual's torture reference only once, in a short report from Australia. Several other papers mentioned it as a one-line quote from a military spokesman who pointed it out. But until the Washington Times ran a front-page piece last week, a Nexis search could find no clear and pointed article in the U.S. press like the one by Alasdair Palmer in the London Sunday Telegraph, with the headline "This is al Qaeda Rule 18: 'You must claim you were tortured.' " He wrote that the manual doesn't prove "that the Britons were not tortured in Guantanamo. But it ought to encourage some doubts about uncritically accepting that they were--which seems to be the attitude adopted by most of the media." Amen to both points in that last sentence."
The whole article is here:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/050613/13john.htm
The New Car, Part II
Disappointment. That's what we felt.
We thought we had made a deal. We were excited about bringing the beautiful demonstrator home, and felt cheated that the dealer had reneged on the agreement.
More and more, we were concerned about driving the poor old wagon. It wasn't dangerous, but it had nearly 200,000 miles on it, and we were concerned about it breathing its' last on some long trip.
Besides, we had gotten our hopes up for the new ride!
So, every day, I'd grab a newspaper and see what dealers in the area were offering. During October and November, prices of our chosen car stayed at the unaffordable level I had found when I initially checked on it.
Christmas came and went. We celebrated New Year's Day.
Then in late January, a dealer in a small town 30 minutes away began to advertise real deals on the car we were interested in!
Checking the mail one day, I found an envelope with a plastic container in it.
It was a sales promotion from this dealer.
In the plastic container was a key..........
"Bring this key to the dealership and open our lock, and choose any car on the lot for free!"
That evening, we went out to dinner, and afterward took the key to the dealership.
It didn't open the lock.
But when we expressed an interest in Sara Jean's "green" car, the salesman worked up a trade for the old wagon.
His initial offer, on a BRAND NEW CAR!, was $500 less than the previous dealer wanted for the demonstrator with 7000 miles on it!
I dickered and bargained for an hour or so, and we ended up signing a contract on EXACTLY the car we wanted!
They prepped it the next day and delivered it to us, then disappeared with our tired old Station Wagon.
That night we went out to the garage several times to just look at it and touch it.........shiny, wonderful, and with that distinctive smell!
But oddly, there was a downside.
No, I don't mean buyers remorse!
To be continued........
We thought we had made a deal. We were excited about bringing the beautiful demonstrator home, and felt cheated that the dealer had reneged on the agreement.
More and more, we were concerned about driving the poor old wagon. It wasn't dangerous, but it had nearly 200,000 miles on it, and we were concerned about it breathing its' last on some long trip.
Besides, we had gotten our hopes up for the new ride!
So, every day, I'd grab a newspaper and see what dealers in the area were offering. During October and November, prices of our chosen car stayed at the unaffordable level I had found when I initially checked on it.
Christmas came and went. We celebrated New Year's Day.
Then in late January, a dealer in a small town 30 minutes away began to advertise real deals on the car we were interested in!
Checking the mail one day, I found an envelope with a plastic container in it.
It was a sales promotion from this dealer.
In the plastic container was a key..........
"Bring this key to the dealership and open our lock, and choose any car on the lot for free!"
That evening, we went out to dinner, and afterward took the key to the dealership.
It didn't open the lock.
But when we expressed an interest in Sara Jean's "green" car, the salesman worked up a trade for the old wagon.
His initial offer, on a BRAND NEW CAR!, was $500 less than the previous dealer wanted for the demonstrator with 7000 miles on it!
I dickered and bargained for an hour or so, and we ended up signing a contract on EXACTLY the car we wanted!
They prepped it the next day and delivered it to us, then disappeared with our tired old Station Wagon.
That night we went out to the garage several times to just look at it and touch it.........shiny, wonderful, and with that distinctive smell!
But oddly, there was a downside.
No, I don't mean buyers remorse!
To be continued........
04 June 2005
Patriotism?
I'm glad to see this discussion.
http://yglesias.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/6/2/215710/6532
Wouldn't it by nice if we were on the way to a healing?
http://yglesias.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/6/2/215710/6532
Wouldn't it by nice if we were on the way to a healing?
PMA
Sales!
I sold insurance for a little while. Accident and health policies first, then life insurance for a bigger company later. Having done it for a while, I learned to appreciate salesmen. Sales people irritate us, but they do a necessary job.......a job that few people do well.
I'm grateful for having been in sales for a while. The first company I worked for put me through an intensive course to show me sales techniques and help get my state licensing done. In this course I learned one of the most important things you can learn.......PMA........a positive mental attitude! To be great at sales, you must have PMA!!
And the fact is, we are all salesmen. No matter what work you do, you sell yourself by doing your allotted work. You have the choice to do it with excellence, just adequately, or poorly. You can also do it with a smile on your face, or you can be a grump.
Think about who you want near you in your life. I find myself attracted to people that do quality work, that make me laugh.........make me feel better. These folks put you in a better mood and make it easier to do excellent work yourself!
Complainers are to be avoided..........when shopping, if you see one before they see you, do you duck down a different aisle, hoping they haven't seen you?
We all have!
Last night I picked up a 42 year old gentleman with an enlarged heart. He also has rhythm problems with his heart that get out of control and cannot be controlled with medication. This guy has been on a heart transplant list for more than a year, and may die before his number comes up. He had never been off the ground before. As we loaded him on the helicopter, he jokingly asked to see my "driver's license"! He made us all laugh. I'm sure the crew took extra good care of the guy, because we all liked him.
You can go through life complaining........being the one that catches glimpses of others ducking into the next aisle, OR...........
You can put a smile on your face and try to show a genuine interest in others, and be the one people are drawn to.
I love my job. I get paid to help people when they desperately need my services.
I'm healthy.
I have a beautiful, loving wife, and a fine home.
I live in a country that trusts its' citizens to travel without concern.
I want others to WANT to be around me!
How can I not have PMA?
I sold insurance for a little while. Accident and health policies first, then life insurance for a bigger company later. Having done it for a while, I learned to appreciate salesmen. Sales people irritate us, but they do a necessary job.......a job that few people do well.
I'm grateful for having been in sales for a while. The first company I worked for put me through an intensive course to show me sales techniques and help get my state licensing done. In this course I learned one of the most important things you can learn.......PMA........a positive mental attitude! To be great at sales, you must have PMA!!
And the fact is, we are all salesmen. No matter what work you do, you sell yourself by doing your allotted work. You have the choice to do it with excellence, just adequately, or poorly. You can also do it with a smile on your face, or you can be a grump.
Think about who you want near you in your life. I find myself attracted to people that do quality work, that make me laugh.........make me feel better. These folks put you in a better mood and make it easier to do excellent work yourself!
Complainers are to be avoided..........when shopping, if you see one before they see you, do you duck down a different aisle, hoping they haven't seen you?
We all have!
Last night I picked up a 42 year old gentleman with an enlarged heart. He also has rhythm problems with his heart that get out of control and cannot be controlled with medication. This guy has been on a heart transplant list for more than a year, and may die before his number comes up. He had never been off the ground before. As we loaded him on the helicopter, he jokingly asked to see my "driver's license"! He made us all laugh. I'm sure the crew took extra good care of the guy, because we all liked him.
You can go through life complaining........being the one that catches glimpses of others ducking into the next aisle, OR...........
You can put a smile on your face and try to show a genuine interest in others, and be the one people are drawn to.
I love my job. I get paid to help people when they desperately need my services.
I'm healthy.
I have a beautiful, loving wife, and a fine home.
I live in a country that trusts its' citizens to travel without concern.
I want others to WANT to be around me!
How can I not have PMA?
The Monument
Identify the common thread.......
Cotton,
Dr. George Washington Carver,
Peanuts,
Enterprise, AL.,
Monument.
This could be a wonderful trivia question!
The common thread? The Boll Weevil!
Enterprise, AL. is a little town just outside Ft. Rucker, home of ARMY Aviation. Enterprise is the home of the only monument in the United States dedicated to a pest, the Boll Weevil!
Click the link:
http://www.shelleybrigman.com/weevil.html
It's an interesting story!
Cotton,
Dr. George Washington Carver,
Peanuts,
Enterprise, AL.,
Monument.
This could be a wonderful trivia question!
The common thread? The Boll Weevil!
Enterprise, AL. is a little town just outside Ft. Rucker, home of ARMY Aviation. Enterprise is the home of the only monument in the United States dedicated to a pest, the Boll Weevil!
Click the link:
http://www.shelleybrigman.com/weevil.html
It's an interesting story!
02 June 2005
Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst!
Most of my Viet Nam flying was done in the UH1-C,
the "Huey" that we all think of when we imagine a helicopter in Viet Nam.
The "Charley model" Huey was underpowered for the job we asked it to do. They were replaced by the faster, more powerful AH1-G "HueyCobra", later shortened to just "Cobra".
The Cobra was designed from the outset to be a weapons platform and was a quantum leap better than the old "Charleys" I flew!
My unit started taking delivery of Cobras three months before I left Viet Nam, so I got a chance to fly them before coming home. They were stable, accurate, and menacing looking........a great gunship!
I found this narrative at the Viet Nam Helicopter Flight Crew website. It's the story of a Cobra gunship being hit by a Soviet SA-7 shoulder fired missile.
The enemy started using shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles after I had left the country.
I'm mighty glad I didn't have to worry about them!
At the end of the war, pilots had modified their tactics in order to avoid being acquired as a target by these missiles.
If you fly Robinson helicopters, particularly the R22, you should read this story and digest the emergency procedure this pilot uses.
Here's why:
During the Robinson Safety Course at Torrance, they tell the story of a Japanese woman on a solo flight in an R22, trying to adjust her kneeboard, when it gets away from her and flies out the left door of her aircraft.
It strikes and catastrophically fails the helicopters' tail rotor and tail rotor gearbox, which fall off the aircraft. The resulting forward shift of the Center of Gravity of the aircraft pitches the nose down and makes it uncontrollable.
She is killed in the accident.
With the tail of the aircraft shot off by the missile, this pilot finds himself in a similarly desperate situation. But because he had considered the possibility of this happening, he was able to manipulate the controls in a way that saved his life, and the life of his front seater!
So read the article.......Think about it.........Visualize it!
http://www.vhfcn.org/missle.html
And let's pray none of us ever needs to use this technique in an emergency situation!
the "Huey" that we all think of when we imagine a helicopter in Viet Nam.
The "Charley model" Huey was underpowered for the job we asked it to do. They were replaced by the faster, more powerful AH1-G "HueyCobra", later shortened to just "Cobra".
The Cobra was designed from the outset to be a weapons platform and was a quantum leap better than the old "Charleys" I flew!
My unit started taking delivery of Cobras three months before I left Viet Nam, so I got a chance to fly them before coming home. They were stable, accurate, and menacing looking........a great gunship!
I found this narrative at the Viet Nam Helicopter Flight Crew website. It's the story of a Cobra gunship being hit by a Soviet SA-7 shoulder fired missile.
The enemy started using shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles after I had left the country.
I'm mighty glad I didn't have to worry about them!
At the end of the war, pilots had modified their tactics in order to avoid being acquired as a target by these missiles.
If you fly Robinson helicopters, particularly the R22, you should read this story and digest the emergency procedure this pilot uses.
Here's why:
During the Robinson Safety Course at Torrance, they tell the story of a Japanese woman on a solo flight in an R22, trying to adjust her kneeboard, when it gets away from her and flies out the left door of her aircraft.
It strikes and catastrophically fails the helicopters' tail rotor and tail rotor gearbox, which fall off the aircraft. The resulting forward shift of the Center of Gravity of the aircraft pitches the nose down and makes it uncontrollable.
She is killed in the accident.
With the tail of the aircraft shot off by the missile, this pilot finds himself in a similarly desperate situation. But because he had considered the possibility of this happening, he was able to manipulate the controls in a way that saved his life, and the life of his front seater!
So read the article.......Think about it.........Visualize it!
http://www.vhfcn.org/missle.html
And let's pray none of us ever needs to use this technique in an emergency situation!
01 June 2005
Let's fly!
I learned to hover a helicopter in February of 1968 in Mineral Wells, TX.
In Army uniform......flight suit, boots, helmet, and sunglasses, I got hot enough from the concentration and exercise that sweat flowed from my scalp down the front of my face and into my eyes.........and down the back of my scalp, continuing down the valley of my back, and into the fissure where the sun doesn't shine!
It IS that difficult!
I was surprised though, when the instructor got the aircraft stablilized in flight, to find I could make the machine do what I wanted it to do!
So........we've learned to hover. Now it's time to go fly!
Getting the helicopter airborne once you're comfortable hovering, is actually fairly easy.
Which direction is the wind coming from? Point the nose thataway!
Now, check your power level. In a helicopter powered by a reciprocating engine, this means looking at your "manifold pressure" gauge.
In a turbine powered machine, power is normally measured in torque (twist) applied to the drive train, and is indicated on the "torque" gauge.
So in the R22, we check the manifold pressure gauge. A common hover power setting here locally is 23 inches of manifold pressure, (MP). Remember this value, because we'll use it most of the way around the traffic pattern.
Okay, our nose is into the wind, we are at a stable 5 foot hover,
using 23" of MP.
Lower the nose of the machine just enough to start moving forward. DO NOT dump the nose over like you see in TV shows or movies! If you have an engine failure with your nose in that attitude, you'll have a Dickens of a time trying to keep from spreading the helicopter over half a city block!
Allow the helicopter to slowly accelerate while maintaining 5 feet of altitude. Use extra collective only as needed to keep the machine 5 feet above the ground. Keep the nose pointed into the wind with the Tail Rotor pedals. Insure the machine is moving straight ahead with the Cyclic.
At about 10-15 knots of airspeed, the helicopter will begin to accelerate into air that has not been disturbed by the main rotor taking big bites of it and forcing it downward. The helicopter will have a natural tendency to lift it's nose as it encounters this clean air, (the main rotor in front is working more efficiently than in the rear), and you must keep the nose from coming up, because if it comes up, the helicopter will come to a stop!
This point of accelerating into clean air.......transitioning from hovering flight into forward flight, announces itself with a mild vibration in the aircraft as the main rotor moves completely into "clean air". This transition is called "translational lift".
Translational lift is that additional lift, or efficiency, the helicopter gains by having the rotor operating in undisturbed, unaccelerated, air.
With the rotor fully in undisturbed air, the helicopter will actually fly with less power than required to hover!
The machine will get more and more stable as you accelerate because of the stability provided by increased airflow "weathervaning" the helicopter.
In the R22 we climb at 60 knots indicated airspeed. At our local elevation, 23 inches of manifold pressure at 60 knots indicated normally results in a rate of climb of 500 to 600 feet per minute.
Let's make one circuit around the traffic pattern.........
Climb straight ahead until we reach an altitude of 400 feet above the ground, then turn 90 degrees to enter "crosswind" leg. On "Crosswind", we continue holding our manifold pressure setting and indicated airspeed until we reach 800 feet above the ground, then we make another 90 degree turn to parallel our takeoff course in the opposite direction. Since we took off into the wind, we will now be "downwind".......therefore this is our "Downwind" leg. We still maintain our power setting, 23" MP, but we lower the nose to maintain our 800 feet altitude above the ground and convert the power we were using to climb into airspeed.
The R22 will accelerate to 80-85 knots indicated on downwind leg under these conditions.
And now, you are flying.
Now, all we have to worry about is getting this symphony of moving parts safely back on the ground!
Next, the "Normal" approach!
Continued..........
In Army uniform......flight suit, boots, helmet, and sunglasses, I got hot enough from the concentration and exercise that sweat flowed from my scalp down the front of my face and into my eyes.........and down the back of my scalp, continuing down the valley of my back, and into the fissure where the sun doesn't shine!
It IS that difficult!
I was surprised though, when the instructor got the aircraft stablilized in flight, to find I could make the machine do what I wanted it to do!
So........we've learned to hover. Now it's time to go fly!
Getting the helicopter airborne once you're comfortable hovering, is actually fairly easy.
Which direction is the wind coming from? Point the nose thataway!
Now, check your power level. In a helicopter powered by a reciprocating engine, this means looking at your "manifold pressure" gauge.
In a turbine powered machine, power is normally measured in torque (twist) applied to the drive train, and is indicated on the "torque" gauge.
So in the R22, we check the manifold pressure gauge. A common hover power setting here locally is 23 inches of manifold pressure, (MP). Remember this value, because we'll use it most of the way around the traffic pattern.
Okay, our nose is into the wind, we are at a stable 5 foot hover,
using 23" of MP.
Lower the nose of the machine just enough to start moving forward. DO NOT dump the nose over like you see in TV shows or movies! If you have an engine failure with your nose in that attitude, you'll have a Dickens of a time trying to keep from spreading the helicopter over half a city block!
Allow the helicopter to slowly accelerate while maintaining 5 feet of altitude. Use extra collective only as needed to keep the machine 5 feet above the ground. Keep the nose pointed into the wind with the Tail Rotor pedals. Insure the machine is moving straight ahead with the Cyclic.
At about 10-15 knots of airspeed, the helicopter will begin to accelerate into air that has not been disturbed by the main rotor taking big bites of it and forcing it downward. The helicopter will have a natural tendency to lift it's nose as it encounters this clean air, (the main rotor in front is working more efficiently than in the rear), and you must keep the nose from coming up, because if it comes up, the helicopter will come to a stop!
This point of accelerating into clean air.......transitioning from hovering flight into forward flight, announces itself with a mild vibration in the aircraft as the main rotor moves completely into "clean air". This transition is called "translational lift".
Translational lift is that additional lift, or efficiency, the helicopter gains by having the rotor operating in undisturbed, unaccelerated, air.
With the rotor fully in undisturbed air, the helicopter will actually fly with less power than required to hover!
The machine will get more and more stable as you accelerate because of the stability provided by increased airflow "weathervaning" the helicopter.
In the R22 we climb at 60 knots indicated airspeed. At our local elevation, 23 inches of manifold pressure at 60 knots indicated normally results in a rate of climb of 500 to 600 feet per minute.
Let's make one circuit around the traffic pattern.........
Climb straight ahead until we reach an altitude of 400 feet above the ground, then turn 90 degrees to enter "crosswind" leg. On "Crosswind", we continue holding our manifold pressure setting and indicated airspeed until we reach 800 feet above the ground, then we make another 90 degree turn to parallel our takeoff course in the opposite direction. Since we took off into the wind, we will now be "downwind".......therefore this is our "Downwind" leg. We still maintain our power setting, 23" MP, but we lower the nose to maintain our 800 feet altitude above the ground and convert the power we were using to climb into airspeed.
The R22 will accelerate to 80-85 knots indicated on downwind leg under these conditions.
And now, you are flying.
Now, all we have to worry about is getting this symphony of moving parts safely back on the ground!
Next, the "Normal" approach!
Continued..........
Mount Everest Landing
Here is the video of the Eurocopter AStar 350 putting skids on the summit of Mount Everest.
The video is 4 and a half minutes long, so it is a long download.
I'm in awe of the idea of it........this machine is touching a skid and hovering at 29,000+ feet!
Literally, if he had a problem, HE WAS DEAD!
http://www.eurocopter.com/everest/
At this site, you can download the video either via either mov file, or wmv file.
It's worth the wait.....download and enjoy!
The video is 4 and a half minutes long, so it is a long download.
I'm in awe of the idea of it........this machine is touching a skid and hovering at 29,000+ feet!
Literally, if he had a problem, HE WAS DEAD!
http://www.eurocopter.com/everest/
At this site, you can download the video either via either mov file, or wmv file.
It's worth the wait.....download and enjoy!
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