The Happy Carpenter

Damn Jovian SUV's

.

For about 300 years Jupiter's banded atmosphere has shown a remarkable feature to telescopic viewers, a large swirling storm system known as The Great Red Spot. In 2006, another red storm system appeared, actually seen to form as smaller whitish oval-shaped storms merged and then developed the curious reddish hue. Now, Jupiter has a third red spot, again produced from a smaller whitish storm. All three are seen in this image made from data recorded on May 9 and 10 with the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. The spots extend above the surrounding clouds and their red color may be due to deeper material dredged up by the storms and exposed to ultraviolet light, but the exact chemical process is still unknown. For scale, the Great Red Spot has almost twice the diameter of planet Earth, making both new spots less than one Earth-diameter across. The newest red spot is on the far left (west), along the same band of clouds as the Great Red Spot and is drifting toward it. If the motion continues, the new spot will encounter the much larger storm system in August. Jupiter's recent outbreak of red spots is likely related to large scale climate change as the gas giant planet is getting warmer near the equator.

Breaking blog silence again

For the next party we decided that, due to liability issues, we could have alcohol, but only one (1) drink per person.

Lucky for us, Doug ordered the cups.

USAF - SAR recruits ain't what they used to be

Thank you -- meet a hero

I had to break my blog silence for this:

CAMP SALERNO, Afghanistan (AP) — A 19-year-old medic from Texas will become the first woman in Afghanistan and only the second female soldier since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor.

Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province in April 2007, the military said.

After the explosion, which wounded five soldiers in her unit, Brown ran through insurgent gunfire and used her body to shield wounded comrades as mortars fell less than 100 yards away, the military said.

It can be hard to remember why one thinks Senator Clinton is a no-good dirty liar. Here's an easy one to remember

From Baseball Crank in July of '06:

POLITICS: Hillary's Flag Flop

You know, I wasn't in favor of an amendment to the Constitution to ban flag-burning, not least for the reason I mentioned here back in 2003: "Every time some nitwit college student burns a flag on camera, that's one less idiot who can ever run for public office." But let's not leave this topic without noting the following:

1. Hillary Clinton drew widespread publicity - referencing her position as evidence of a move towards the political center - for supporting legislation banning flag-burning.

2. Like everyone else who follows politics even remotely, Hillary knew full well that the Supreme Court in 1989 had held that the First Amendment protects flag-burning, and therefore that such legislation, to accomplish anything, required an amendment to the constitution.

3. When that amendment came up for a vote, it failed by one vote, and Hillary voted against it. In other words, Hillary's vote by itself defeated the position she had depicted herself as supporting.

You don't need to be one way or the other on the (alleged) issue of flag burning to have contempt for this kind of political posturing.  No doubt the Senator had words to say about her vote, every one of them a lie including "and" and "the".

Crazy Arabs

Dubai.

Temporary home to about one fifth of the world's cranes.

That's nuts.

Blogging... not so much

It was funny.  The first few weeks I went without posting anything here were like withdrawal.  I actually had to force myself to not post links, jokes, comments, or thoughts.  Then I got used to it and didn't really feel the urge.  I got my news the Internet way, but didn't share it or my thoughts about it.

And I don't miss it all that much, which is obvious given this is my 2nd post in the two weeks since my self imposed e-exile expired.  A renewed focus on work feels like just what the doctor ordered.  That, and a re-re-r-e-renewed focus on exercise.  And an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope!

Who do I think is reading this, anyway?

On the other hand, I had a political discussion with a couple of my friends Saturday night, and there's is still a lot of work to be done.  What a couple of knuckleheads!  They had no idea the surge was working, had never heard of the Anbar Awakening, no idea of the relative casualties of the WOT compared to other American wars, etc.  But that didn't stop them from having strong opinions.

I'm not sure what method is the best way for me to make my e-contribution, but I've got a few stray minutes here and there to think about it, so we'll see.

I'm back. He's gone.

Hello again.  I'm back.  The experience of not-blogging was strange for me, but I think I'm a better person for it.  More about that later.

OTOH, we lost a soldier/blogger recently.  This is his final post.  An excerpt:

I suppose I should speak to the circumstances of my death. It would be nice to believe that I died leading men in battle, preferably saving their lives at the cost of my own. More likely I was caught by a marksman or an IED. But if there is an afterlife, I'm telling anyone who asks that I went down surrounded by hundreds of insurgents defending a village composed solely of innocent women and children. It'll be our little secret, ok?

You know you would have loved that guy if you'd known him in life.  Here's to the afterlife.

Working vacation

A week and a half ago I took a new job.  I'll be helping tp build a new structure on an Air Force base.  Dealing with the government is a daunting job, and learning my new company's methods and culture is also a daunting job, and building the thing is also a daunting job.  That's three full time jobs.

Something has to give.

So, until January 1, The Happy Carpenter is going on vacation from blogging.  I'll miss it and miss your comments, but for at least two more months I will need to be 100% focused on the job.

Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.

This is really fascinating.

More Brain Stuff . .  From Cambridge University .

Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty  uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig  to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset c! an be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.   Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on  !!
!   
Psas Ti ON !

Not just that you can figure it out, but you can read it at nearly full speed.  If our minds are so amazing, how come we keep doing such stupid things?

The Marine & the insurgent

Subject: The Marine

A U.S. Marine squad was marching north of Fallujah when they came upon an Iraqi terrorist, badly injured and unconscious, on the side of the road. On the opposite side de of the road was an American Marine in a similar but less serious state.

The Marine was conscious and alert and as first aid was given to both men, the squad leader asked the injured Marine what had happened.

The Marine reported, "I was heavily armed and moving north along the highway here, and coming south was a heavily armed insurgent. We saw each other and we both took cover in the ditches along the road, me on one side of the road and him on the other.

I yelled over to him that Saddam Hussein was a miserable, low-life scum bag who got what he deserved, and he yelled back that Ted Kennedy is a fat, good-for-nothing, left-wing Liberal drunk who doesn't know how to drive. Then I said that Osama Bin Ladin dresses and acts like a frigid, mean-spirited lesbian! He retaliated by yelling, "Oh yeah? Well, so does Hillary Clinton!" And there we were, in the middle of the road shaking hands, when a truck hit us!"

Lewis' vote for Miss America

You know you're a Floridian if...

..Socks are only for bowling.

..You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes.

..A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.

..Your winter coat is made of denim.

..You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.

..You're younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65.

..Anything under 70 is chilly.

..You pass on the right and honk at the elderly, but pull over for a funeral.

..You've driven through Yeehaw Junction.

..You could swim before you could read.

..You have to drive north to get to The South.

..You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.

..Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2005.

..You've gotten out of school early on Halloween to trick or treat before it got dark

..You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.

..You dread lovebug season.

..You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances... but Charley , Frances , Ivan and Jeanne.

..You know what a snowbird is and you hate them.

..You know why flamingos are pink.

..You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.

…You were twelve before you ever saw snow, or you still haven't.

.."Down South" means Key West

.."Panhandling" means going to Pensacola

..You think no-one over 70 should be allowed to drive.

..Flip-flops are everyday wear.

..Shoes are for business meetings and church.

..No, wait, flip flops are good for church too, unless it's Easter or Christmas.

..Sweet tea can be served at any meal.

..An alligator once walked through your neighborhood.

..You smirk when a game show's "Grand Prize" is a trip or cruise to Florida

..You measure distance in minutes.  (Every regional joke like this includes this one.  I don't know why people think this is so unusual to their area. - THC)

..You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.

..You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.

..All the local festivals are named after a fruit.

..A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.

.You think everyone from a bigger city has a northern accent.

..You know the four seasons really are: almost summer, summer, not summer but really hot, and February.

..It's not soda, cola, or pop. it's coke, regardless of brand or flavor, "What kinda coke you want?"

..Anything under 95 is just warm.

..You've hosted a hurricane party.

..You go to a theme park for an afternoon, and know when to get on the best rides.  ( Space Mountain during the Electric Light Parade!)

..You understand the futility of exterminating cockroaches.

..You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee , Ichnatucknee and Withlacoochee

..You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat, than have a boat yourself.

..Bumper stickers on the pickup in front of you include: various fish, NRA, Nascar and  Go Gators.

..You were 5 before you realized they made houses without pools.

..You were 25 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.

..You get angry when people say " Florida isn't really part of the SOUTH."

..You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas.

..You know what the "stingray shuffle" is, and why it's important!

..You recognize Miami-Dade as " Northern Cuba ".

.. It's a perfect 72 degrees outside, but you run the A/C just to keep mildew from growing on your shoes.

.. Your combined property taxes and "wind" insurance cost more than your mortgage PI.

Good recruitment news, again

This is getting to be a broken record.  Every year, despite repeated claims that the military is "broken", the military meets its recruitment goals.

All branches of the Armed Forces met or exceeded their recruitment goals for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, and the Army expects to accelerate its expansion in the next two years, top brass at the Pentagon announced Wednesday.

The long term goal is to expand the military, particularly the Army and Marine Corps, and toward that end the Pentagon has done something smart.

In addition to a standard fare of bonus and assignment extension incentives that have been updated throughout the year to support the war effort and help grow the force by an additional 35,000 soldiers, some new programs likely will be added in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

One initiative, called warrior pay, would establish a new kind of compensation for soldiers who serve repetitive deployments in a combat zone.

Similar to the sea pay available to sailors, Marines and Army mariners, warrior pay would recognize the cumulative time a soldier spends deployed over the course of a career.

Army officials do not know what the specific pay levels will be, but 2008 budget legislation now before Congress would authorize up to $1,500 per month....

Well, that's long over due.  The guys in combat zones deserve some big bucks.  Not that that's why they joined, but they deserve it.  Hoo-ah & Semper Fi!