Sunday, May 22, 2016

SO CAL DRY - HOT AIR - NASA's ET 94 ENDEAVOUR

----El Nino has been pretty much a bust where I live in Southern California.  We've  received very little rain despite the weather expectations.   All we have is the rest of Grey May, then June Gloom to anticipate as the clouds overhead, though sometimes dark, float past to release any moisture in downpours elsewhere -- sometimes threatening flooding and/or mudslides. 

We can be grateful Northern California mountains did build up a snow pack almost normal for the season, but they'll need the same or more each year to come.  At least this year there will be snow to melt providing some portion of our Southern California usual water allocation.  Our city residents continue to convert landscapes to sustainable vegetation -- most of us voluntarily using water with care.  Meanwhile our city's legal efforts to acquire our water rights continue despite the company's unwillingness to sell them back to us.

----The political candidate onslaught has begun.  They've all previously been in Southern California numerous times in recent months and weeks, but now comes the big push.

Early afternoon I noticed two young men carrying clipboards coming through the neighborhood, but they turned away from my door when I directed their attention to my window sticker "No Solicitations - No Knock Registry" sign.  Now I wonder if they were soliciting for business, if they were promoting a candidate or if maybe they were after signatures on another of many circulating petitions.

----Later I tuned in to early afternoon TV news to learn Bill Clinton was expected in about fifteen minutes at a nearby community high school in Pomona as he campaigns for wife Hillary.  

----Heading south from here on one of our freeways into Orange County (known conservative stronghold ala Big John Wayne country) in the next few days Bernie Sanders (he's been in San Diego) will speak in Irvine at an outdoor amphitheater where I've enjoyed listening to the Pacific Symphony Orchestra concerts.

----Another day Donald Trump will be expressing himself in nearby Anaheim, also home to Goofy at Disneyland.

----A week or so ago Madeleine Albright was a speaker at one of our Claremont Colleges - Scripps - where she encountered protests to her appearance by some drowning out her voice.  Her months earlier comments calling for women to vote based on gender caused Scripps women students, especially, to let her know their adverse reaction.  There was some concern after a while that she wasn't being given an opportunity to be heard. 

I expect some individuals, both men and women, may gender vote, but I think most of us are wise enough to also consider additional more significant criteria.  I find it troublesome that there seems to be an increasing intolerance by many for listening to the views of those who differ from their own.

----ET 94 - external fuel tank -- is being united with NASA's Endeavour space shuttle at Los Angeles California Science Center Exposition Park.   Here's the tank arriving in L.A. after a trip through the Panama Canal from New Orleans:



Fuel tanks for all other shuttles launched disintegrated after being jettisoned.  Never launched, this tank is the only one remaining intact in the world.   This orange monster is reported to be fourteen stories high when in vertical position for take-off with the shuttle.  Today in horizontal position the tubular-looking tank was transported through streets where some light poles had to be temporarily taken down, though no trees trimmed as needed for the shuttle for safe passage.  Turning corners was a challenging maneuver, but despite the slow speed the tank arrived safely at the Science Center earlier than expected.



Shuttle Endeavour took a spectacular flight over L.A. in 2012 when it arrived in Los Angeles.  The flight flew over many special areas including east toward where I live, but here's one view over the famed Hollywood sign:

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A spectator filled trip followed with transportation through the streets where it now rests at the Science Center as can be seen in this Los Angeles time lapse YouTube video:.



Recent years have seen other not just large but humongous objects being propelled through L.A. streets as I wrote about several years ago here in The Giant Megalith. 

Only auto motorcades on the streets are in our future as best we know now in Southern California  -- at least until our June 7th Presidential primary election.   A couple candidates, at least, will return later to raise money.   Then, we'll also see how important our state's voters are considered to be after the July Democratic and Republican national conventions.

Update:
This is a spectacular visual of Endeavour, the Los Angeles surrounding area, pilot audio noting points of interest, occasional radio chatter with control tower.  A special thrill for small plane enthusiasts though this is no small plane.









   

18 comments:

  1. I'm always fascinated by anything NASA does. Wish the country had more excitement about their work but sadly we don't hear nearly enough. Sounds like you are in the very dry part of California. That must be distressing. I'm trying to scan all the political news with only one eye partially open.

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    1. Yes, Linda, our.small city in northeast Los Angeles County has gotten bypassed though some of our next door city neighbors received rain. One mtn peak above us did receive some snow for skiing this past season but all is melted now.

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  2. We just saw this in the news tonight about the shuttle fuel tank. I loved how the astronauts were talking to the kids as the tank moved by.

    I really loved your news about Trump and Goofy. Too funny!

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    1. Yes, I thought the astronaut participation was especially nice and imagine school age children enjoyed the contact.

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  3. Kay beat me to it. Trump speaking at Goofyland--totally appropriate.

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    1. Glad my touch of humor didn't go unnoticed.

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  4. You do live in a busy area that is an important part of the world. No one knocks at my doors for my opinion because I life out in the woods in a small subdivision, but my phone rings off the wall. This election for me is more about not wanting certain candidates to win.

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    1. This is an unusual election for Calif. to receive so much attention. Typically other states back east are considered the ones whose voters make the difference. Expect eastern states well be considered the ones that matter in the Nov. general election, too.

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  5. Your election coverage is interesting. One of my far-left friends insists that Democrats are being disenfranchised (i.e. admitted for vote) in CA. Have you heard anything about this? I sure wish bernie would stop beating on Hillary. Don't these people understand the only reason Obama won is because Hillary gave up gracefully when it became apparent she could not win the nomination? I'm beginning to think far too many people would rather see Hillary lose to trump, than a woman in the white House. the disrepect of those young women for Madeline Albright is disgraceful.

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    1. I'm not hearing about voters being disenfranchised in So Cal. Extreme views on either end of the political spectrum often have their own unique perspective. There is currently a news story regarding records showing a couple long deceased voters continuing to be recorded as voting. I haven't heard the story in full so don't know any more yet, or if any particular party is associated with it. I said when Pres. Obama ran against HC that a woman would not be allowed to win -- that many would vote only for a man of any color before they'd ever vote for a woman. They would, of course deny this, explaining their vote with all sorts of convoluted , sometimes flimsy, reasons to justify their vote. I don't know that the temperament of this nation has changed in that regard. I think Sanders is trying to ensure his ideas are heard, with some of them adopted in the platform at the party convention in July. He may also have gotten carried away with aspirational Presidential hypnosis fostered by the enthusiasms of his idealistic but naiv followers as he relives the extremist dreams of his younger socialist years. Yes, those Scripps students, others on other causes elsewhere this election, lack protest judgement.

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    2. Well said. Extremism from either end of the spectrum avails us nothing.

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  6. Update:
    Developments with 200+ dead voters on voter registration rolls -- Democrats and Republicans in Los Angeles County reported by CBS-L.A.TV News.

    Sanders approves his supporters in San Francisco filing lawsuit to extend voter registration from 5/23 until Primary Election Day 6/7 due to confusion in registration requirements involving voting by mail ballots reported by news sources there.

    By way of clarification, in recent years California voters chose a different voting system allowing open ballots and this is the first Presidential Primary Election in which it is being used. Earlier this year some voters thinking they had registered as Independent voters discovered they had mistakingly registered with the Independent Party. This error on voters part was attributed to confusion in registration terminology which I can appreciate to be true for some. Considerable publicity ensued that these voters needed to re-register.

    Now, based on this lawsuit a different issue has arisen, it seems some of those who vote by mail must notify the election officials that they need a crossover ballot. This is necessary to enable them to vote for Sen. Sanders.

    Follow your reliable news sources for more specific information and further details of which I'm sure we'll hear much. Just make sure you seek the facts and don't fall victim to hype of this being deliberate voter suppression or some grandiose conspiracy. Quite possibly we have at least one, if not two Presidential candidates capable of stooping so low as to fan such flames.



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  7. I truly miss the glory days of NASA and certainly would like for them to have a more funded and active role today in space exploration. I have, however, been quite excited to watch the accomplishments of the private enterprise "Spacex". I still find their accomplishment of being able to return a rocket's first state back to earth and land it as just totally amazing.

    California will be the "talk" now till they hold their primary. I'm sure a majority of the media hype will surround Hillary and Sanders. With regard to elections in general, in my life and at my age I have come to the conclusion that it is time to pass my baton. This country for all practical purposes belongs to the younger generations now. I have tried to honor my citizenship as an American for almost 60 years and do my duty. At 75 I have to hope I made good decisions in my voting choices regarding the direction of this country for all those past years but now its difficult to not wonder if I was in fact party to creating the current sad state of affairs. And we all know that if you ask that question to anyone regarding how we got to this sad state of affairs, well... of course it was always the other guy.

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    1. I, too, have been interested in tracking the progress of the private space firms. That landing ability is amazing, so am looking forward to future steps planned.

      I appreciate what you say about "...passing the baton..." to younger generations to sustain and secure our country. My participation differs from what it once was and doesn't begin to compare with that of those who put their lives on the line. I think history reveals our nation's governance has ebbed and flowed from our founding but, much as our individual lives, moves forward for better or worse -- some of our efforts didn't turn out as we expected, but others did. We all are responsible whatever the nation's status and can't avoid responsibility by blaming "the other guy", as you remind us.

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  8. Your State is in for some interesting political stuff real soon. I am hoping that Trump will get his "come-uppance" then but no matter what is said he will turn it around to suit his ego !

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    1. Yes, some interesting events here. Today, Sanders is speaking in nearby Pomona east of Los Angeles. He and Trump are negotiating a possible debate in the near future somewhere here in Calif. Meanwhile Trump has achieved all the delegates he needs for the Republican nomination. Clinton is losing her speaking voice again. I do wish she would have had some intervention long before this for what is referred to as vocal hygiene -- to use her voice in a more healthy way and allowing microphone to provide her amplification. She has a lot of months speaking ahead of her in loud stressful conditions. Lots more to come for all of us with Sanders TV commercials starting and Clinton's reported to begin soon. Poll numbers we're being give say Clinton's only slightly ahead of Sanders here now. Calif. Primary voting in 12 more days!

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    2. Grim news. You would think with all that money Bernie says she has she could afford professional help.

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    3. Hopefully she is receiving medical care to minimize any potential problems with her vocal cords. Integrating any therapy techniques to become automatic behavioral changes is a process over time. Projecting a high energy level through loud, shouting, hollering talk is not helpful. Allowing the microphone use to better provide her the needed loudness levels for amplification is important.. She'll be speaking to large groups of people in a variety of noisy indoor and outdoor environments requiring obtaining and sustaining attention to her words. She has been and will be in for the foreseeable future unpredictable, probably anxiety producing, stressful situations challenging her efforts. Her primary concentration necessarily is focused on thoughtful consideration of the significant issues associated with her candidacy for Presidency of the United States.

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