We are almost homeowners again.

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It is getting closer... Loans are approved. $303,000 is the price. Liz is eyeing couches to buy.

Everyone Draw Mohammed Day

Well, I had to do it also. Made a picture and then a video to play it with. Islam has to grow up if it wants to succeed in this world. The control of thoughts and speech just isn't going to fly. You can't have meaningful discussion if ideas, words, phrases, pictures are off limits due to "sensibilities."

I know... the picture stinks. I have no drawing ability or proper tools. This is a powerpoint special since I am PowerPoint God at work.

Also, my video abilities are pretty feeble as well. :-)

Mars Opportunity Still Going Strong!

The Mars rover Opportunity is now the longest operating lander on Mars, surpassing the Viking 1 lander that lasted more than 6 years on Mars. Opportunity was designed for 90 days on Mars. It is currently on a trek to the crater Endeavor, eight miles away. It can see it's goal on the horizon. The older rover Spirit is currently hibernating in the Martian winter and if it wakes up in the spring, it will take over the title of longest operating lander. It is, however, stuck in a sand dune and only able to take stationary science data. This is actually valuable now that it isn't moving, some more precise and longer term measurements can be taken.
People crap on NASA for it's failures. The Mars Rovers and many other NASA missions are amazing in what they have achieved and are still achieving. Phoenix, Galileo, Cassini, Magellan, Apollo, SOHO, Chandra, Spitzer and even Hubble... These should all be names every school kid and taxpayer knows and sees as examples of how hugely successful we can make a project work.

Daughters of Eve

PZ writes about women and religion, why do women accept the profoundly misogynistic faiths? I've wondered that as well. He had a daughter graduate from college on Friday as I did, we are both glad they are daughters of Eve.

"... part of the answer to misogyny: break free of the old dogmas that want women to be submissive bearers of babies and nothing more, break the dead and oppressive divine laws, and tempt men to follow you into liberation. We'll all be free together.

Take pride in the example of Eve, she is the author of a real promise of a greater humanity."

Spaceflight Now | STS-132 Shuttle Report | Respecting Atlantis as the shuttle faces retirement

The shuttle Atlantis is on what may be it's final mission. 25 years ago two DSCS-III spacecraft were it's maiden flight's payload and was my second of eight DSCS-III launches to support, those two spacecraft operated for over 20 years after that. This is kind of like watching a daughter retire!

Lars Vilks Attacked at Uppsala University

A quick point. Free speech is NOT negotiable.

NOT. AT. ALL.

Dog Mohammed.

Mohammed as a dog.

Mohammed drawn as a dog.

Mohammed is a dog.

A poor dog with a head that looks like Mohammed.

The dog Mohammed about to be run over by the modern world.

The modern world confuses the old dog Mohammed.

Fuck Mohammed and the asshole in the background of the video chanting while his scared daughter cries. This is child abuse.

Aluminum Overcast at EAA119

B-17 at WVI

The B-17 Aluminum Overcast visited WVI May 3-6. The visit started with a press flight on Monday for the local papers and KION 46 weather reporter Tamara Berg. Click here. The SC Sentinel story is here. Tuesday had the first two flights for paying passengers and a couple of freebies for EAA 119 volunteers. Afterward a lot of visitors came out to the airport to tour through the plane, EAA119 volunteers doing a great job keeping the visitors interested, educated, informed and flowing through the plane. We all learned a lot and I think passed on a lot of information to the community what it was like in that plane. Tony and Thad literally spent hours in the cockpit talking to folks. Tuesday night had the Mexican dinner from Said's Little Tampico and short talk by the B-17 crew that was very well received. A group photo was taken and chapter meeting held afterward. This was very successful. Wednesday was much like Tuesday, two passenger flights, a lot of visitors to 5pm. On Thursday, the flight to Napa was perfect. Chuck, Mike Nelson, Thad, JR, Mike Corder, myself and Dennis Thomas (who just happened to be standing in the right place at the right time) rode to Napa. Takeoff included a pass over the field while we were already walking around the cabin. The view of the coast and Golden Gate was perfect, and in an hour, we landed at Napa. Chris Laws (who rode on Tuesday) picked us up and drove us (after a Jonesy's lunch) home.

The crew several times complimented EAA119 on how well we did hosting the B-17 and said many chapters could learn from us. A lot of that organization and drive came from John Davi, to no surprise to anyone. Thanks John for all the effort to make this the big success it turned out to be!

Tim Minchin - Pope Song (Warning - Offense Probable)

Between the Islamic fear and abuse of women, the Catholic abuse of children, the Jewish abuse of their desert shit hole, and Deepak Chopra's abuse of logic, this song for me could be applied to all of them.

Comment in the YouTube channel:
14534 What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
fly44d @14534 what happened to the innocence of children whose rapists were moved on to other positions to rape again? Besides, this is about the whole Catholic Church, not just the Pope.

Bill Maher slams Islamic extremists

Bill is a kook for some things (like vaccinations) but I like his politics and ridicule for religion.

Free speech is not negotiable.
Separation between church and state is not negotiable.
Women are allowed to work and you can't beat them, not negotiable.

Things are going to get worse

“Things are going to get unimaginably worse, and they are never, ever, going to get better again!”

 

Supposedly by Kurt Vonnegut

Day in the Sky success!

DitS turned out well. I haven't blogged about the hours of frustration, anger, frustration, resignation, frustration and drama this has been since early in March. EAA suddenly decided that the risk to their Young Eagles program was too much and wanted out. DitS organizers couldn't understand the reasoning and was ready to claim discrimination against special needs kids. Most still don't understand the issues. The result was no flying by anyone. But a lot of kids got to hang out around airplanes, we had a bunch opened up for them to sit in, NASA had a cool display with solar telescopes out. It turned out very well. Not a lot of EAA 119 volunteers but that is ok. We got enough Cisco people to help set up. I ended up setting up the entire ramp myself in the morning because I dreamed about it all the night before. I was at the airport before 7am and before the ramp crew, so I just did it. I am paying for it today, I ache everywhere. I took no pictures during the day so these are from Mary and Dean.

Day in the Sky agony

Man, this has been a tough couple of months. EAA calls and says, "don't be part of DitS! YE insurance doesn't cover it!" We ended up calling off the flying part of DitS. I hope the event this weekend goes off ok with only static display planes.

Sunday Sacrilege: That other thing we don't believe in

We do not have immortality, but that also means we can throw away the irrelevant crutches of god-belief. We've walked successfully without them — cast them away, stand as a proud human being and meet fate without the wishful delusions of faith. That's why this thought is a sacrilege — it says that we have no need of priests or gods or persistent ghosthood, ideas that have only hobbled us.

PZ is talking about the rest of what we don't think exists. A soul. Life after death. Forget the god thing, not believing in a soul is much more fundamental in atheism. People believe in reincarnation and ghosts because they think there is a soul that is separate from our bodies and brains. More wishful thinking I believe. But I understand it more, it is hard to see how we can cease to exist when our brains die. What happens to our thoughts. It is hard to think that our thinking self will actually stop.

The meaning of Easter

We don't regard as heroic the soldier who throws the fellow next to him on top of the grenade, and we especially condemn the soldier who first pulled the pin on the grenade, then smothered the explosion with his bunkmates body.

I had never tried to figure out the logic of Easter. Not having really ever been Christian, I've never had to. Jesus being tortured to death for our sins and then going to heaven somehow saves us? Of course only if you accept him as your lord and savior. Or not. Depending on which variety of Christianship being promoted. But to really peel back the layers and examine the logic from PZ's post here, wow. How messed up is this?

1. Eve and Adam screw up in God's eyes. Not in mine, she was curious and wanted knowledge, what is wrong with that?
2. We are all fallen and need to be forgiven for Eve and Adam's sins. Really? How am I at fault? That is some lawyer God has.
3. God sends his son to earth knowing he would be sacrificed. Wow. Daughters, know that I would no do that to you.
4. The son knows he is going to die, but also knows he is going to heaven, no question. Not really that much of a sacrifice. Makes it kind of hollow.
5. Jesus gets tortured to death, sort of, walks away and is never seen again. We are told to accept Jesus as our savior to get the forgiveness for our sins, the original ones being the ones committed by ancient ancestors.

So god gets pissed, throws his son at us to be sacrificed, and we are supposed to praise him and his son who knew it wasn't going to hurt.

Amazing.