Author: Zero Ponsdorf

Saw this headline just now:

Vietnam Seeks Western Warplanes to Counter Potential Chinese Threat

“Vietnam is in talks with European and US contractors to buy fighter jets, maritime patrol planes and unarmed drones, sources said, as it looks to beef up its aerial defences in the face of China’s growing assertiveness in disputed waters.”

At least one of the touted reasons we went there 50 plus years ago was to curb the influence of China in the region.

Gotta wonder if they’ll also offer us the Navy base in Da Nang to help fend off the EVIL Empire??? The Philippines has been said to be considering similar.

My first thought was to simply suggest they try to put together useful aircraft made from all of the ones they shot down. Kinda think that might be feasible. If not… it IS fun to consider.

I am running out of words here folks.  The more I think about the notion of VietNam pilots in F-15s and the like, the more I giggle. Like… Maybe THEY’LL buy our A-10s? They are no longer needed by our forces, etc.

I could go on… Bet you can too.

Two question marks in the title. Yeah, that is to communicate my confusion in this matter.

NASA Supports Replacing American Flag With A New Design, International Flag Of The Planet Earth May Be Used During Space Travel

“Since Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, the iconic visual of the American flag they left behind marked NASA’s success in going where no man had gone before, marking their arrival for future visitors to see. Since then, all space suits worn by Americans have been adorned with the American flag. However, NASA has been supporting a design that may replace the American flag during space travel. The new flag, called the International Flag of the Planet Earth, is expected to represent Earth as a whole, rather than segment only the United States.”

NB: I can’t vouch for the source and the story is a bit over a week old, but it gave me a painful twinge or two while considering the idea.

I can see it for projects like the ISS and/or international efforts at grander things, but it made me ask if NASA is so  passé that THIS is what they spend time considering?
I felt so proud during the first Space Shuttle launch… I was once again part of something AMERICAN. Some folks with me had been there during the moon landings.

If you’ve ever been there this will be of interest.

“The USS Arizona Memorial is closed to visitors Wednesday morning after a tug boat collided with the memorial’s dock, making it “not safe for people to land there,” a spokeswoman said.

A tug boat maneuvering the USNS Mercy hospital ship collided with the memorial’s mooring dock, said spokeswoman Abby Wines.”

The USS Arizona is a remarkable place.  Just maybe more so for Sailors.

“Arizona was the most heavily damaged of all the vessels in Battleship Row, suffering three near-misses and four direct-hits from 800-kg bombs dropped by high-altitude Kates. The last bomb to strike her penetrated her deck starboard of turret two and detonated within a 14-inch powder magazine. The resulting massive explosion broke the ship in two forward of turret one, collapsed her forecastle decks, and created such a cavity that her forward turrets and conning tower fell thirty feet into her hull. “

We visited there several times, The Wife and I. The ship was still leaking oil in the late 70’s when we lived on Oahu.

I actually visited it once on the way to the Tonkin Gulf if memory serves.

There are names at the memorial, and you can look down, if the light is right, you can imagine those minutes our shipmates went through.

As an “under control” type II diabetic I don’t consume alcohol with any real frequency.  However, I do occasionally break my diabetic beer fast with cheap beer.  Last year I found this story to relieve my conscience some. Quick sidebar: I long ago decided I wasn’t gonna pay a premium for fancy beer.

“A compound found in hops— one of the basic ingredients of beer— is capable of improving memory and thought patterns in mice, reported Quartz.”

“While hops are the only dietary source of the rare compound, it would require drinking 2,000 liters of beer— or 5,636 bottles of beer— for a person to get the same effect.”

That article raise the question of whether I could be mentally sharper than a mouse. That raises all kinds of OTHER interesting questions.

And… As the frequent late night ads offer – But Wait, There’s More!

Now Fox News is offering this: Top reasons beer is actually good for you. NOW it get’s fun…

“The National Osteoporosis Risk Assessment followed more than 200,000 females and found that drinking alcohol decreased the incidence of osteoporosis (7). All of this leads to a decrease in hip fractures in elderly females, which is important because hip fractures after the age of 65 are associated with a significant increase in mortality.

So, women, if you’re concerned about your bone health, don’t just focus on calcium; add some beer to your diet for another way to protect your bone density.”

So… If I drink beer I will have a better memory thing. If The Wife of 40 plus years drinks beer she’ll be better able to dance on my grave.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

I debated whether to post this – or not, but since it IS Sunday…. The Poop Map.

There is something about the notion that intrigues me some.

“The scatological atlas, smiling poop emojis and all, was created amid a swirling dispute between downtown boosters and the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust over how to get homeless men and women off the street, and how to deal with corresponding sanitation issues. The two public agencies have been feuding for about a year now, dating back to the creation of a temporary shelter program at Camillus House, and more recently with the DDA’s promotion of souped-up porta-potties.”

Mind you… The homeless issue isn’t trivial, and whatever the cause they have to “poop”.  I do find it entertaining that some bureaucrat decided to map the deposits????

Looks as though the issue may be coming to YOUR area: “Where do 600 people go to the bathroom everyday? Well there’s a map to show you where 600 people go to the bathroom everyday,” said Sarnoff, who displayed the DDA’s map on television. “This is a countywide issue, as you’ll see.”

I’ve got 4 toilets and an outhouse on site so I might be safe, but the rest of you better make sure as to where you are on the nationwide poop map.