tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167358542024-03-07T21:14:05.369-05:00USS BOSTON Sail and Rudder Co, Ltd. or Is there life after your boat gets scrapped?I served in the Navy, a plankowner aboard the USS BOSTON (SSN-703) Decommissioned in 1999 and scrapped in 2002. Now I find myself in the unique cradle-to-grave position of helping to care for its remains at the Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park. All that really remain are the sail and rudder shipped here in 2003 along with a few cleats. I feel like I'm caring for a vessel that met a premature and untimely demise. Now I care for her remains.
...Sort of.ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-21830954183798503432015-01-31T13:45:00.002-05:002015-01-31T13:45:58.478-05:00Recognizing the 35th Anniversary of the USS BOSTON CommissioningWow! Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the commissioning of the USS BOSTON (SSN-703) which was just about the minimum expected design life of the hull. Here is a tip-of-the-hat to everyone who served aboard her, before, during and following commissioning. Will there ever be another vessel named BOSTON? One can never tell.<br />
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<br />ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-42259636654796247812013-06-24T08:46:00.002-05:002013-06-24T08:46:58.128-05:00Has it been almost TWO YEARS since I posted on this BLOG???<br />
Well, shame on me! Well, as you can see, a lot has happened to the BOSTON sail, it has been painted, numbered and looks all nice and sparkling!<br />
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<br />ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-89661498601203291402011-04-19T20:55:00.002-05:002011-04-19T21:02:33.977-05:00Thirty One years ago...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4e52k4QGDLzY55VOXP7kWvO47C57qaRBAcuh5Dm1IdLed45z_VQt8V6wFzZSUQWdYVwqNmMPWkApWQ481V7OUDto7UVCUAZRcWWTlp1-fJ47cZYoSbh6GzdZHsArh_E7WzKG/s1600/USS+BOSTON+in+Fremantle+Australia+1983.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4e52k4QGDLzY55VOXP7kWvO47C57qaRBAcuh5Dm1IdLed45z_VQt8V6wFzZSUQWdYVwqNmMPWkApWQ481V7OUDto7UVCUAZRcWWTlp1-fJ47cZYoSbh6GzdZHsArh_E7WzKG/s400/USS+BOSTON+in+Fremantle+Australia+1983.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597479618556756322" /></a>Hard to believe that it was 31 years ago, APRIL 19th, 1980 that the USS BOSTON (SSN-703) was launched. Those of us who were there, it was an unforgettable moment! Now, she belongs to history, except for the sail and rudder.ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-40143051829127258772010-02-01T21:03:00.004-05:002010-02-01T21:09:23.426-05:00Okay, I know this seems a bit corny, but when I was a wee lad in the early 1960's, one of my favorite TV shows was a program that were very much a precursor to Star Trek, it was called Fireball XL5, this started me on my Science Fiction kick...<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="internal" swliveconnect="true" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ASvBTqfTrzA&rel=0&border=0" ></embed><br /><a href="http://www.theinsider.com/videos/1768681_Fireball_XL5_Intro_Credits">via The Insider</a>ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-13662625564610014532009-11-28T10:19:00.006-05:002009-11-28T10:33:22.941-05:00So busy this time of year!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7KKrQswALgvUAtUWsshCgPqD1UvBSSqCL97aD2PsCrvvjUqWfhbyTPCxuvWtTJaMfH9amheaZQm3WkzVEuq1Av81XwyI980Jyhx7mVtMeIWE0WnyEV8RPw9X1UhtlxHViHJV/s1600/IMG_0750%5B1%5D"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7KKrQswALgvUAtUWsshCgPqD1UvBSSqCL97aD2PsCrvvjUqWfhbyTPCxuvWtTJaMfH9amheaZQm3WkzVEuq1Av81XwyI980Jyhx7mVtMeIWE0WnyEV8RPw9X1UhtlxHViHJV/s400/IMG_0750%5B1%5D" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409177103802877506" /></a><br />I just wanted to take the time and let everyone know that I have launched a new blog: <a href="http://buffalopotteryfaces.blogspot.com/">Buffalo Pottery Faces</a>, which, for the lack of a better name will have to do for now. I first started with pottery while I was aboard the USS BOSTON during its pre-commissioned days. Interesting then, what started out as a curiosity, grew into an interest, and soon the mugs I was making proved to be in demand by all who saw my work then.<div>Now, after 26 years of inactivity with pottery, I am re-establishing my technique. Curious, I think, that it corresponds with the remains of the sail being on display from that same USS BOSTON here at the Naval Park in Buffalo. I'm sure that I'm trying to make connections where none exist, but this is after all the USS BOSTON blog...</div><div><br /></div>ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-12951528515417996252009-11-18T08:40:00.006-05:002009-11-18T09:00:13.732-05:00Updating can be so tedious and time consuming!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKio5JN6_oOKmOPWbw73jtVGLJmxhQzyMpPJlYDaLwacHGJ5TjSu4894i0LgWWVNM4QfNjyCuSvjKH5NoMcUKiB0-Op0ooZ9NgIG0BVUbfppJCW3tpy2x4EMbIHoF4x5XF35Wj/s1600/IMG_0742.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKio5JN6_oOKmOPWbw73jtVGLJmxhQzyMpPJlYDaLwacHGJ5TjSu4894i0LgWWVNM4QfNjyCuSvjKH5NoMcUKiB0-Op0ooZ9NgIG0BVUbfppJCW3tpy2x4EMbIHoF4x5XF35Wj/s400/IMG_0742.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405439013539396914" /></a><br />I know, life can be soooo STRESSFUL at times! That's why we each need to learn to settle down, and find our "center" with a bit of meditation and deep quiet thoughts. Unlike my disturbed friend here (shown above) he was quickly off-center and because of that, he is stressed-out to this day! One must find inner peace, but first you must make that self-discovery! It seems like ages ago sometimes, but after about a 25 year break, I once again found myself in the position, due in part to the economy, of picking-up some clay and working once again on a wheel. Probably something I have should have NEVER stopped doing. I believe that working with clay can be very meditative and relaxing. As you center the clay on the wheel, you seek center or "balance" within yourself. It is a therapy and lesson in life! Then as you coax and guide the clay on the wheel, you find yourself giving it form and shape until (after some practice this becomes easier) the clay matures much like a growing child.<br /><div><br /></div><div>May your children not be as stressed-out at this fellow!</div>ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-7626110596330186672009-07-23T05:58:00.001-05:002009-07-23T05:58:37.630-05:00Subs%2C+frigate+on+list+of+ships+being+retired<a href="http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/07/navy_shipinactivation_072109w/">Subs%2C+frigate+on+list+of+ships+being+retired</a><br /><br />Shared via <a href="http://addthis.com">AddThis</a><br /><br>Yet some more boats retired, at least these had a proper useful life.<br />ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-52859188160875500882009-06-27T17:39:00.003-05:002009-06-27T17:53:54.739-05:00Feeling the Pain....I know...because I keep reminding myself. It has been almost 26 years since I got out of the Navy and left the USS BOSTON behind me; I never would have thought that something that I spent my youth helping to give birth to (launching, commissioning, etc...) would occupy so much of my time long after I left the service. <br /><br />I must have spent nine hours today, screwing allen-hex fasteners into the top of the sail of that submarine, which is at the Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park at the foot of Pearl Street today. Despite applying sunscreen and wearing a hat, I'm sun-burned, my hands have 1st degree burns and some blisters, and I am exhausted!<br /><br />My wife commented that she was tired from working in with the kids and that I "spent the day doing what i liked", I tried to remind her that spending a hot day, aboard a sail of a submarine that doesn't even exist anymore is not what i "like" doing, it is however an obligation, and I for one do not take obligations lightly. <br /><br />...sigh! Perhaps, Shakespeare-in-the-Park tonight!ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-27642630854998745332008-08-26T12:13:00.002-05:002008-08-26T12:26:12.700-05:00"...That's what she said!"Imagine this: Twenty years ago, you are with a bunch of friends and decide to create a memorable line that IS JUST YOUR OWN! You repeat it only among a select group of friends, each time the laughs grow bigger, then one day you hear someone repeat it and you find that it's become a national sensation!!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_N8Z9GWsMTw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_N8Z9GWsMTw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />That's what I experienced when I heard someone repeat this line who I did not tell it too! I was shocked not by the content, but that a phrase that I thought I coined had become so popular! I suppose, it is with a mixed sense of pride, indignation and embarrassment that I sheepishly admit to this creation that fortunately, WAS captured on video. Do I expect any royalties from it? ...somehow I don't think so! But I'll let you know if the checks start rolling in! I guess the only "royalities' I'll get is the satisfaction that it has taken on a life of its own.ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-15485249540041086662008-08-01T12:58:00.003-05:002008-12-11T19:48:35.600-05:00Phoenix Lander Reports:Water Discovered on Mars!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4N6Ou1wkzbHlCAk7VirS0Zi7BXikac6jDSTacdiR8F0HwTDDusidQ_sUM7aeqF8ak5a-vTtGIAD80HY2crOSr4CjuSW6_xj582fkCy-6DLKgTeIZvFcDop1KP-TwYvRtG0U39/s1600-h/mars-crater-lake.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4N6Ou1wkzbHlCAk7VirS0Zi7BXikac6jDSTacdiR8F0HwTDDusidQ_sUM7aeqF8ak5a-vTtGIAD80HY2crOSr4CjuSW6_xj582fkCy-6DLKgTeIZvFcDop1KP-TwYvRtG0U39/s400/mars-crater-lake.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229611006618507458" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Okay, based upon my past blogs, how could I not report on this?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NASA Phoenix probe confirms water on Mars</span><br /><br /><br />LOS ANGELES (AFP) — NASA scientists said Thursday the Phoenix lander exploring Mars had confirmed water on the planet after analysis of a soil sample from the Red planet's surface.<br /><br />The discovery was made after the lander's robotic arm delivered a sample this week to an instrument onboard the lander that identifies vapors through heating samples.<br /><br />"We have water," said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the lander's "oven" Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA.<br /><br />"We've seen evidence for this water ice before in observations by the Mars Odyssey orbiter and in disappearing chunks observed by Phoenix last month, but this is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted."<br /><br />Earlier, NASA officials said the Phoenix's mission had been extended until the end of September, describing its progress so far as "very successful."<br /><br />Michael Meyer, chief scientist of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, told reporters that the lander's minimum objectives had been achieved and that "full mission success" was expected.<br /><br />"It's been very successful and Mars had proven itself to be very interesting, mechanically the spacecraft is operating great, and there's plenty of power margin to carry us beyond the waning summer," Meyer said.<br /><br />"With that, what I'd like to do is announce that we're going to extend the mission to go till the end of the fiscal year (September 30)."<br /><br />The lander started digging trenches into Martian soil after touching down near the planet's north pole on May 25, revealing a white substance that scientists confirmed was ice in June.<br /><br />University of Arizona scientist Peter Smith, Phoenix's principal investigator, said ice scooped up by Phoenix's robotic digging arm was being analyzed to see if conditions on Mars could have supported life.<br /><br />"We're looking to understand the history of the ice, by trying to figure out if this ice has ever melted, and through melting has created a liquid environment that modifies soil," Smith said.<br /><br />"We're just getting the data back. Through this we also hope to resolve questions, is this a habitable zone on Mars, meaning that we have periodic liquid water, materials that are the basic ingredients for lifeforms."<br /><br />Smith said chemical analysis which indicated soil was alkaline had baffled scientists. "This is a mystery ... this is a typically acidic environment, perhaps this had to do with a nearby crater," he said.<br /><br />Although important nutrients including sodium, potassium and magnesium had been discovered, no organic materials had been found so far, Smith said.ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-12289094103146251022008-01-15T16:48:00.000-05:002008-01-15T16:56:37.665-05:00Blogging the BLOB, er, ...The Blog, ...eh, whatever!<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FAKfGjdh5as&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FAKfGjdh5as&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Incredible BLOG!!!<br /></span> ...er, BLOB<br />After all this time, how can I NOT BLOG-the-BLOB!!!<br /><br />I guess they both are taking over the world!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lZ5TDbok_7Q&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lZ5TDbok_7Q&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Here's one from the 1988 remake...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3jmpLA6deBc&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3jmpLA6deBc&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-48145550427470066742008-01-15T09:07:00.000-05:002008-01-15T09:10:29.133-05:00USS BOSTON (SSN-703) on YouTube.com!!Many thanks to Don Ward for putting this together and uploading it to YouTube.com.<br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PCcZCqErK0M&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PCcZCqErK0M&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br />In fact, even I am in this....first picture on the starboard side during launch! Hehehehe!ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-37875569286610782872008-01-14T08:53:00.000-05:002008-01-14T08:58:35.224-05:00Only the Chinese Could get away with this!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nextnature.net/research/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/xuzhen_mounteverest.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.nextnature.net/research/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/xuzhen_mounteverest.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Leave it to the Chinese to remove the summit of Mount Everest and take it around the world as a touring exhibit!<br /><br /><br />See: The <a href="http://www.nextnature.net/?p=1264">Tour of Mount Everest</a> story here. You know, if some American tried that, the Chinese government would be up-in-arms about it!!ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-73541119003324646322008-01-05T16:30:00.001-05:002008-01-05T16:32:28.467-05:00Feel Like Your Growing Old?<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8NOZH0y7VxE&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8NOZH0y7VxE&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Sung by the Composer: Tom Lehrer<br />Does this resemble anyone we know?..ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-85763766127989319532008-01-03T15:22:00.000-05:002008-01-03T15:43:01.949-05:00Know someone with a Domineering Spouse?In this RARE bit of British Music Hall footage <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gus_Elen">Gus Elen</a> sings a song he made famous about 1891: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"It's a Great Big Shame!" </span>About a husband who has to given up the free lifestyle he enjoyed before marriage and the frustration experienced by his friends when they want him to go out for just a few beers.<br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z9_YHS63hiw&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z9_YHS63hiw&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Now you probably wondering, what does this have to do with the Navy and submarines?<br /><br />...Well, I'll tell you, quite a bit! But I better save it for a later post because my wife just walked in!ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-80058165136043927362008-01-03T13:18:00.000-05:002008-01-03T13:24:57.439-05:00Powerful! Earthy! It's Carmina Burana - O fortuna! by Carl Orff<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lF7_PhB9coo&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lF7_PhB9coo&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br><br /><br />The lyric translation would be considered vulgar and rude, very lusty even today!<br />...so I presented it here in Latin for your amusement and confusement!ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-68724273199821970762007-12-31T09:44:00.000-05:002007-12-31T10:02:18.851-05:00Saying Goodbye to 2007Here we are, at the end of another year, ready to welcome in 2008!<br />I can't believe the first decade of the new century is nearly over!<br />I have posted below, what I consider one of the most beautiful renditions I have ever heard of the song composed by Flowtow for his opera "Martha" and written by that famous Irish poet Thomas Moore that so beautifully captures the aesthetic movement of the Victorian age. About the death and loss of love and friendship, or the changing of times, and the coming of something new! This performance sort of left tingles running up and down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck on end!<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OqpIf5SSLsw&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OqpIf5SSLsw&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />`Tis the last rose of summer<br />Left blooming alone;<br />All her lovely companions<br />Are faded and gone;<br />No flower of her kindred,<br />No rosebud is nigh,<br />To reflect back her blushes,<br />To give sigh for sigh.<br /><br />I`ll not leave thee, thou lone one!<br />To pine on the stem;<br />Since the lovely are sleeping,<br />Go, sleep thou with them.<br />Thus kindly I scatter<br />Thy leaves o`er the bed,<br />Where thy mates of the garden<br />Lie scentless and dead.<br /><br />So soon may I follow,<br />When friendships decay,<br />And from Love`s shining circle<br />The gems drop away.<br />When true hearts lie withered<br />And fond ones are flown,<br />Oh! who would inhabit<br />This bleak world alone?<br /><br />....goodbye to 2007ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-82352747710105266462007-12-24T12:24:00.000-05:002007-12-24T12:29:39.459-05:00The Wreck of the Edmund FitzgeraldI was looking out over lake Erie just a few minutes ago, it was snowing "horizontal" as it is often does from November & December on the Great Lakes.... My mind wandered off to the legend of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.<br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iquCHSkmUek&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iquCHSkmUek&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br><br />I think this video clip captures the power of the elements and the fury of the Great Lakesex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-81751522546880386762007-11-21T10:09:00.000-05:002008-12-11T19:48:35.834-05:00Keeping "a-breast" on current Turkey-Technology!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEna1__PtJCisOnWE2wrC4yLwavJrB9fgG62Hn7o3tG-6nPbYKjUc_tq9eLLCGj2VwX8Bp849Exsd-WWGoBy5f6oRBnsohRPUku6HcS1ZMXuhNobTjZ2hSxBmQXKZYAMmE6nZn/s1600-h/turkey_bikini.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEna1__PtJCisOnWE2wrC4yLwavJrB9fgG62Hn7o3tG-6nPbYKjUc_tq9eLLCGj2VwX8Bp849Exsd-WWGoBy5f6oRBnsohRPUku6HcS1ZMXuhNobTjZ2hSxBmQXKZYAMmE6nZn/s400/turkey_bikini.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135311312487533266" border="0" /></a><br />It's Time to Relax with the Turkey!<br /><br /><br />...She's some dish, eh? I showed this photo to my wife and suggested that we could have a little fun and have all our guests "Talkin' Turkey" for quite some time! Well, it didn't take long before she torpedoed that idea! Personally, I think this is fine if you are serving-up a Hen-turkey, but certainly not appropriate if you have purchased a Tom-Turkey! ...in fact, I think it would be considered a bit of "a drag" don't you think?<br /><br />This was done, BTW with careful placement of Aluminum foil before this lovely bird was sent to the kitchen "Tanning booth" for a few hours. <br>...Rumor has it that she met a fowl-end, but that's another story!<br /><br />I just don't know why I didn't think of this first? Somehow, I don't think this "Chef" is married! ...anymore!ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-86683387196984964092007-11-08T08:37:00.000-05:002007-11-08T08:41:43.532-05:00Yet Another "Out-Of-This-World" Discovery!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://d.yimg.com/ca.yimg.com/p/071106/reuters/mtfh03757nootri94382440.jpg?x=380&y=244&sig=dFXUzWALM2bM.CzE35leuQ--"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://d.yimg.com/ca.yimg.com/p/071106/reuters/mtfh03757nootri94382440.jpg?x=380&y=244&sig=dFXUzWALM2bM.CzE35leuQ--" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >This artist's concept shows four of the five planets that orbit 55 Cancri, a star much like our own. NASA scientists said they discovered a fifth planet orbiting a star outside our own solar system and say the discovery suggests there are many solar systems that are, just like our own, packed with planets.</span><br /><br />WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NASA scientists said they discovered a fifth planet orbiting a star outside our own solar system and say the discovery suggests there are many solar systems that are, just like our own, packed with planets.<br /><br />The new planet is much bigger than Earth, but is a similar distance away from its sun, a star known as 55 Cancri, the astronomers said on Tuesday.<br /><br />Four planets had already been seen around the star, but the discovery marks the first time as many as five planets have been found orbiting a solar system outside our own with its eight planets, said Debra Fischer, an astronomer at San Francisco State University.<br /><br />Life could conceivably live on the surface of a moon that might be orbiting the new planet, but such a moon would be far too small to detect using current methods, the astronomers said.<br /><br />"The star is very much like our own sun. It has about the same mass and is about the same age as our sun," Fischer told reporters.<br /><br />"It's a system that appears to be packed with planets."<br /><br />It took the researchers 18 years of careful, painstaking study to find the five planets, which they found by measuring tiny wobbles in the star's orbit. The first planet discovered took 14 years to make one orbit.<br /><br />They said 55 Cancri is 41 light-years away in the constellation Cancer, a light-year being the distance light travels in one year -- about 5.8 trillion miles.<br /><br />The newly discovered planet has a mass about 45 times that of Earth and may resemble Saturn, the astronomers said.<br /><br />HARBORING LIFE?<br /><br />It is the fourth planet out from the star and completes one orbit every 260 days -- a similar orbit to that of Venus.<br /><br />"It would be a little bit warmer than the Earth but not very much," said Jonathan Lunine, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona.<br /><br />The planet is 72 million miles from its star -- closer than the Earth's 93 million miles, but the star is a little cooler than our own sun.<br /><br />"If there were a moon around this new planet ... it would have a rocky surface, so water on it in principle could puddle into lakes and oceans," said Geoff Marcy, an astronomer at the University of California, Berkeley.<br /><br />But the moon would have to carry a lot of mass to hold the water, he said. Water is, of course, key to life.<br /><br />"This discovery of the first-ever quintuple planetary system has me jumping out of my socks," Marcy added. "We now know that our sun and its family of planets is not unusual."<br /><br />Marcy and other astronomers strongly believe that many stars are hosts to solar systems similar to our own. But small objects such as planets are very hard to detect.<br /><br />Technology that would allow scientists to detect planets as small as Earth is decades away, the scientists agreed.<br /><br />The researchers have been looking at 2,000 nearby stars using the Lick Observatory near San Jose, California, and the W.M. Keck Observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii.<br /><br />They have posted images of what the planets may look like on the Internet at http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/telecon-20071106/.<br /><br />The inner four planets of 55 Cancri are all closer to the star than Earth is to the sun. The closest, about the mass of Uranus, zips around the star in just under three days at a distance of 3.5 million miles.ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-24699336285079310912007-10-30T07:06:00.000-05:002007-10-30T07:14:12.645-05:00Problems with Confession in the Catholic ChurchIt seems these day all houses of faith are having problems recruiting and retaining ordained ministers and priests. "Men of the Cloth" sometimes must come up with ingenious ways to deal with this recruitment problem as outlined in the video clip below.<br /><br /><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-0713924296691156 visible ontop" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/KgmQM9cDPHk&rel=1"></a><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KgmQM9cDPHk&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KgmQM9cDPHk&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><center><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Automated Confession System!</span></center>ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-11470555551516149322007-10-12T11:51:00.000-05:002008-12-11T19:48:36.065-05:00Old Seadogs Don't Die.....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNEcg8Pn9swu0gKVz7ukDlM404Kv55yndS2li0lCy6GVJ_nIDv0IoapOdTYURB-PnZISGO2jMUEydvEJKJUqZsV80W_zC8iqBm0qxajCumyhM1ewKyptNPmOUlr0T6xgpmtW2/s1600-h/Old_Navy_SeaDog.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNEcg8Pn9swu0gKVz7ukDlM404Kv55yndS2li0lCy6GVJ_nIDv0IoapOdTYURB-PnZISGO2jMUEydvEJKJUqZsV80W_zC8iqBm0qxajCumyhM1ewKyptNPmOUlr0T6xgpmtW2/s400/Old_Navy_SeaDog.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5120494399397642578" /></a><br />They just get Grey and wrinkly, that's all.ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-61465655154200254642007-10-10T19:35:00.001-05:002007-10-10T19:42:26.803-05:00How could I NOT post this?<a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 0px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-011975239832909701 visible" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/rbK0AFMTXLs"></a><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rbK0AFMTXLs"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rbK0AFMTXLs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object>ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-84623295204901425292007-09-21T14:14:00.000-05:002007-09-21T14:33:24.871-05:00The call of the Wild!<embed src="http://p.webshots.com/flash/smallslideshow.swf" flashvars="playList=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.webshots.com%2Fslideshow%2Fmeta%2F2070827agYeVrQcDX%3Finline%3Dtrue&inlineUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.webshots.com%2FinlinePhoto%3FalbumId%3D2070827%26src%3Ds%26referPage%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Ftravel.webshots.com%2Fslideshow%2F2070827agYeVrQcDX&postRollContent=http%3A%2F%2Fp.webshots.com%2Fflash%2Fws_postroll.swf&shareUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ftravel.webshots.com%2Fslideshow%2F2070827agYeVrQcDX&audio=on&audioVolume=33&autoPlay=false&transitionSpeed=5&startIndex=0&panzoom=on&deployed=true" menu="false" quality="best" width="425" height="384" name="WebshotsSlideshowPlayer"base="http%3A%2F%2Fp.webshots.com%2Fflash%2F" wmode="opaque" allowScriptAccess="always" loop="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macromedia.com%2Fgo%2Fgetflashplayer"></embed><br /><br /><a href="http://travel.webshots.com/album/2070827agYeVrQcDX">Some photos of my visits to Algonquin Provincial Park <br>(in Canada)</a><br /><br />As some of you might know, I enjoy camping and the outdoors in general. Well, around Memorial Day and Columbus Day weekends a few of us brave souls pack-up our camping gear, grab a canoe and head out to the wilds of Algonquin park about 4-5 hours drive north. I thought I would share a few of those photos with you.... because of my knee problems last year I missed going, so I hope to make up for it this season! <br /><br />...Want to join us?ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735854.post-75500198386116724832007-09-19T12:45:00.000-05:002007-09-19T12:49:15.133-05:00Unusual views of Shuttle launchCheckout this unusual view of the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/on_demand_video.html?param=|http://mfile.akamai.com/18565/rm/etouchsyst2.download.akamai.com/18355/real.nasa-global/phoenix_science/phoenix_science.ram|http://mfile.akamai.com/18566/wmv/etouchsyst2.download.akamai.com/18355/wm.nasa-global/phoenix_science/phoenix_science.asx#"><br />Shuttle STS-118 Booster Camera Launch Views</a> Pretty cool footage!ex-nuke bubbleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055697352432962236noreply@blogger.com0