Thoughts
So I've been fascinated and amazed by the Phoenix landing on Mars and sending pictures back to Houston. 422 Million miles.
422 million miles!
That is how far it is from earth to Mars. They launched this thing in August of 2007, and it landed on Mars two days ago.
AMAZING.
I want to work for NASA. I have full confidence that NASA scientists and their discoveries will lead us into the years ahead, and their inventions will save us all!
I have to wonder, NASA can send something 422 million miles into space with a camera and that robotic machine (WALL-E!) can send pictures and news and updates and scientific data along that distance back to a scientist ... but I've been driving a car with a combustible engine since the Model T? It feels like, from where I sit, that innovation has been limited to computers and music and movies, and real things like medical break throughs and well, new energy, has just been lacking!
I have to believe that's because lobbyists - Big Oil and Moto City - are just creating barriers. Right? They squash funding? Or something?
I'm enthralled and amazed and just giddy with excitement for NASA and the Phoenix team. What a great breakthrough! Who knows what brilliance will come of their bravery, ingenuity, and innovation!
The other thing I've been thinking about ... women. So many things we got right. Women's rights, money issues, pants in lieu of skirts/dresses, going dutch, speaking our mind ... so many things. I don't want to be a traitor to my sex by despising the lobbying arm of the current post-feminism era, but it gets all tied up for me in other things. I was thinking about JK Rowling, and how she said they used her initials because they felt that would play better for boys. And how Jane Austen published her first works as an annoynmous "Lady."
I always related with Jo in Little Women. The pioneer, the brave one, the outspoken one. I think part of me, because of my domestic tendencies, my nesting tendencies, feels compelled to lash out at those that judge me for my choices. That's only part of it, but I think it's a big part of it. Rock into a pack of dogs, as Lewis would say.
Another thing - gas prices have risen so much in the last few weeks because of the weak dollar. You can thank the Fed and the housing situation for that. Interest rates destroyed the value of the dollar, and now we need more dollars to buy the same amount of oil that we were buying before for less. This weekend the news was 24/7 devoted to gas prices, and last week all they would talk about was the oil exec hearings. It's soooo annoying. They are so dishonest. I really feel like you should have to pass an IQ test before running for office. I know, that's not very democratic. But geez ... Congresswoman Waters and her "we'll take over your business for you" line. Really?
And the execs sat there and took it. They hemmed and hawed and tried one time (according to my radio) to talk about their profit MARGIN but no, the 24/7's don't talk about that.
I feel like there is hysteria about gas prices. China subsidizes gas for their citizen. Why? Because they want to keep their economy pumping and growing aggressively. India does the same. Us? Oh we make ridiculous comments about repealing the gas tax for the summer, and bluster about windfall profits for the oil cos. The goverment makes something like $.45 on every gallon. The oil companies make $.09.
Anywho - I feel like there is hysteria.
And Hillary Clinton is $31M in debt.
And those are my thoughts. Busy weeks coming up ... Houston on the 7th, again on the 14th. Planning for the Germany trip and trying to get some things at work accomplished. Hope you all had a great Memorial Day!
May God Bless and Keep our Troops Safe.
422 million miles!
That is how far it is from earth to Mars. They launched this thing in August of 2007, and it landed on Mars two days ago.
AMAZING.
I want to work for NASA. I have full confidence that NASA scientists and their discoveries will lead us into the years ahead, and their inventions will save us all!
I have to wonder, NASA can send something 422 million miles into space with a camera and that robotic machine (WALL-E!) can send pictures and news and updates and scientific data along that distance back to a scientist ... but I've been driving a car with a combustible engine since the Model T? It feels like, from where I sit, that innovation has been limited to computers and music and movies, and real things like medical break throughs and well, new energy, has just been lacking!
I have to believe that's because lobbyists - Big Oil and Moto City - are just creating barriers. Right? They squash funding? Or something?
I'm enthralled and amazed and just giddy with excitement for NASA and the Phoenix team. What a great breakthrough! Who knows what brilliance will come of their bravery, ingenuity, and innovation!
The other thing I've been thinking about ... women. So many things we got right. Women's rights, money issues, pants in lieu of skirts/dresses, going dutch, speaking our mind ... so many things. I don't want to be a traitor to my sex by despising the lobbying arm of the current post-feminism era, but it gets all tied up for me in other things. I was thinking about JK Rowling, and how she said they used her initials because they felt that would play better for boys. And how Jane Austen published her first works as an annoynmous "Lady."
I always related with Jo in Little Women. The pioneer, the brave one, the outspoken one. I think part of me, because of my domestic tendencies, my nesting tendencies, feels compelled to lash out at those that judge me for my choices. That's only part of it, but I think it's a big part of it. Rock into a pack of dogs, as Lewis would say.
Another thing - gas prices have risen so much in the last few weeks because of the weak dollar. You can thank the Fed and the housing situation for that. Interest rates destroyed the value of the dollar, and now we need more dollars to buy the same amount of oil that we were buying before for less. This weekend the news was 24/7 devoted to gas prices, and last week all they would talk about was the oil exec hearings. It's soooo annoying. They are so dishonest. I really feel like you should have to pass an IQ test before running for office. I know, that's not very democratic. But geez ... Congresswoman Waters and her "we'll take over your business for you" line. Really?
And the execs sat there and took it. They hemmed and hawed and tried one time (according to my radio) to talk about their profit MARGIN but no, the 24/7's don't talk about that.
I feel like there is hysteria about gas prices. China subsidizes gas for their citizen. Why? Because they want to keep their economy pumping and growing aggressively. India does the same. Us? Oh we make ridiculous comments about repealing the gas tax for the summer, and bluster about windfall profits for the oil cos. The goverment makes something like $.45 on every gallon. The oil companies make $.09.
Anywho - I feel like there is hysteria.
And Hillary Clinton is $31M in debt.
And those are my thoughts. Busy weeks coming up ... Houston on the 7th, again on the 14th. Planning for the Germany trip and trying to get some things at work accomplished. Hope you all had a great Memorial Day!
May God Bless and Keep our Troops Safe.
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