Current events - Guidelines 1st Post.

[Eclaire]

Tornados are rampaging throughout the Midwest. Joplin was recently hit by an F4. The aftermath out there is terrible looking. I think what was worse about this particular one was that it took out part of the hospital. Wherever you choose to live there is going to be some possibility for a natural disaster. Which one is worse? Tornados, hurricanes, and earthquakes...

[Qadupae]

Space Shuttle Endeavor landed successfully today, June 1st
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this was its last flight. It will now be decommissioned.

[TxCat]

Space Shuttle Endeavor landed successfully today, June 1st
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this was its last flight. It will now be decommissioned.

Not quite decommissioned. When something is decommissioned, they usually tear it apart. Each of our shuttles (I'm from Florida) is going to a different museum, I believe, and one will be held in reserve 'just in case'. In any case, I'm sad to see them go. The Delta rockets they plan on using just don't look as majestic.

[Soleil]

Space Shuttle Endeavor landed successfully today, June 1st
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this was its last flight. It will now be decommissioned.

Not quite decommissioned. When something is decommissioned, they usually tear it apart. Each of our shuttles (I'm from Florida) is going to a different museum, I believe, and one will be held in reserve 'just in case'. In any case, I'm sad to see them go. The Delta rockets they plan on using just don't look as majestic.

If I heard right, didn't they say that now we will just 'hitch rides' so to speak with the Russians? Everyone's all "well that's just a huge step backwards in progress" since we used to have the big space race with Russia back in the day.

[Qadupae]

If I heard right, didn't they say that now we will just 'hitch rides' so to speak with the Russians? Everyone's all "well that's just a huge step backwards in progress" since we used to have the big space race with Russia back in the day.

If that is true, I'd say it's a huge step forward to progress with actually getting along in the world and having world peace but we can save that whole debate for another topic thread

[BradTheMad]

I don't think we're going to agree then. My experiences --- and I have had plenty, whether an 'official' part of military personnel or not --- lead me to believe that there is indeed a better way. The problem with painting so broadly with that brush is that 'the enemy' becomes utterly faceless and extends

The more I learn about you TXCat the more I respect you.
I too can be bitter about things going on in this world and it's so easy to fall into the us vs them mentality. It's when you disconnect from your initial emotions, step back and think things over you see things aren't and cannot be so black and white.
That's why I'm always careful to pick sides and am often called a fence-sitter which is usually meant negatively as I'm "afraid to take sides" and darn right they are. Condemning a whole people by any means, whether politically, spiritually, genetic or by whatever means leads to genocide. It happened throughout history and still happens to this day. Maybe as a Jew I'm more sensitive to this I don't know.

Like I said I too can be very bitter when I look at what happens around me and, taking my own history and life experiences into account, could probably be the sort of person that would terrify others. I've made a conscious decision to not do this though. Sure I whine and moan about things and feel some self-pity at times but I try and not see a whole group of people as the enemy. It leads to dehumanizing the other which history has showed us time and again where that eventually leads to.


As for the Endeavor, I watched it on CNN and it was sort of sad as it's the end of an era. On the other hand it IS time for the new generation of rockets to take its place.

[TxCat]

As for the Endeavor, I watched it on CNN and it was sort of sad as it's the end of an era. On the other hand it IS time for the new generation of rockets to take its place.

I'm old enough that I remember when Enterprise made its first atmospheric flight to test whether or not the design would be flightworthy. Later, in 4th grade, I watched the first ever shuttle launch on television. I've witnessed two explosions, one of them firsthand (pieces of Challenger fell out of the sky over my home).

While the Delta rockets are ugly, they WILL do the job needed and they're safer. Eventually they do plan on manning them again. One of my dearest friends works for one of the companies which provides parts for NASA and new designs. He's the one who re-designed the shuttle's safety systems after the last explosion.

He's also the man working on the next manned design, and he's told me there WILL be one.

[BradTheMad]

Can only remember the Enterprise from what my Dad told me as it was five years before my time. '74 was it? And yes I'm all for the safety of technology. The Challenger was such a sad accident, costing the lives of seven great people.

Good to hear there will be a manned design. I'm personally very interested in a mission to Mars but we'll have to overcome many obstacles before that ever happens. I'm confident I will be alive to still see that, though I might be an old geezer by then.

[Qadupae]

While the Delta rockets are ugly...

Maybe I'm just a weirdo, which I freely admit to, but I think the Delta rockets actually look quite nice But then again I am accustomed to seeing the unique designs that they showcase on BBC's The Universe. As beautiful as the "aeroplane" design can be, I'm more into non-standard designs, like rotating living quarters to create artificial gravity and such.

On a not-so-happy discussion:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/05/ ... hpt=hp_bn2

A young boy in Syria was killed recently by the Syrian government. Apparently, he was apart of a protest to break the military siege in Syria and was taken as part of the detainees. His dead body was returned to the family later showing signs of torture. No government should be allowed to do this.

[TxCat]

A young boy in Syria was killed recently by the Syrian government. Apparently, he was apart of a protest to break the military siege in Syria and was taken as part of the detainees. His dead body was returned to the family later showing signs of torture. No government should be allowed to do this.

Precisely why they're fighting so heavily for a new government. There's a common misconception that Islam allows and encourages such behaviors; that isn't true and the people are tired of it. Tunisia getting its freedom and setting up its own government lighted a fire under these other countries which I don't think can or should be put out. True self governance is a wonderful thing but often bought with blood. Our own struggles to separate from Great Britain were no less spectacular or bloody.

I don't watch the news much because it depresses me to the point of suicide but I do keep an eye on the Middle East as I have a vested interest in the politics and social structure shaping up there. The Middle East was my Pa's business for a long time --- I've mentioned he was army intelligence or whatever they call them now --- and his fascination rubbed off on me.

I've read everything I can get my hands on from the ancient history of the area through modern times. It's interesting to note that TE Lawerence's writings are still the most revealing about the peoples who live there and still the standard by which interaction with the Arab peoples are taught.

I just wish I didn't have to go outside the US for unbiased news reporting. Time will occasionally tell the whole story or leave links to the whole story but CNN is terrible. While the UK's Guardian generally has a reputation as a tabloid rag, I find it often reports most truly.

I wish my Arabic were better; I'd like to see what some of their news outlets were reporting.