MicaelS

MicaelS's Journal

May 12, 2017

Yes they would.

Read about the case of Major Harold L. Hering. He is a former officer in the United States Air Force, who was discharged in 1973 for questioning the process for launching nuclear missiles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Hering

In 1978, journalist Ron Rosenbaum wrote a 15,000-word article in Harper's Magazine about the nuclear command and control system in which he publicized the case of Hering. Rosenbaum later wrote that Hering's question exposed a flaw in the very foundation of this doctrine, and asked "What if [the president's] mind is deranged, disordered, even damagingly intoxicated? ... Can he launch despite displaying symptoms of imbalance? Is there anything to stop him?" Rosenbaum says that the answer is that launch would indeed be possible: to this day, the nuclear fail-safe protocols for executing commands are entirely concerned with the president's identity, not his sanity. The President alone authorizes a nuclear launch and the two-man rule does not apply to him.

May 10, 2017

More bad PR for United Airlines.

United Airlines apologizes for sending woman to San Francisco instead of Paris.

United Airlines apologized to a French woman who was inadvertently allowed to board a flight to San Francisco instead of Paris.

Lucie Bahetoukilae booked a flight from Newark, N.J., to Paris, but instead flew to San Francisco after she was allowed to board the wrong plane, WABC-TV reported.

Bahetoukilae, who only speaks French, ended up on the wrong plane in late April after the airline made a last-minute gate change, according to her niece, Diane Miantsoko, who shared her aunt’s story with WABC-TV.

When Bahetoukilae landed in San Francisco, she had an 11-hour layover, before boarding a flight to Paris, WABC-TV reported. According to the station, she spent more than 28 hours trying to reach her destination.

Apparently, one passenger had his ticket canceled because he was filming a dispute between UAL and himself over an absurd baggage fee.

A Bay Area flier named Navang Oza, who was traveling from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to San Francisco International Airport on May 4, says a United Airlines ticket agent canceled his flight after he began filming an altercation they were having.

Oza said the agent was attempting to charge him $300 for his bag, which exceeded the 50-pound limit. Oza contends that the same bag holding the same contents only cost him $125 in his flight out of SFO to New Orleans, which caused the disagreement.

At this point it was 4 a.m., and the confrontation escalated to the point where Oza began filming — within his right in a public place, despite what the agent suggests — apparently leading the agent to cancel his flight ticket.

Just about a minute after Oza begins filming the agent, she begins filming him as well, which Oza initially posted to his Facebook page as part of a raw 13-minute video (it has since been deleted). She instructs a co-worker to cancel his ticket, and informs him that "until that [recording] is erased, you're not traveling."

Every day that passes there is another story of how UAL people have screwed things up. Are they trying to kill their airline?

May 7, 2017

Anyone here play Angry Birds 2 on Android?

I need a Facebook friend I can send gifts to when I win them. I don't have anyone friended at this time, due to the fact I only got the Facebook account for game / score record keeping purposed.

April 25, 2017

Uber to test flying taxis in D/FW and Dubai.

https://www.fastcompany.com/40411555/ubers-flying-taxis-will-first-take-to-the-skies-in-dallas-fort-worth-and-dubai

Look, up in the sky. It’s…a taxi! That could become reality in six to 10 years if Uber fulfills its vision of a flying cab system. Ahead of its Uber Elevate Summit in Dallas today, the ride-hailing giant shared exclusively with Fast Company its plans for urban air travel—expanding on ideas included in a white paper published last year. They include the choice of cities to start testing the technology and the initial lineup of five aircraft makers it will task with building economical, four-passenger, electric craft that will—eventually—fly themselves.

Whether they are helicopters, quad copters, or space-age airplanes, all the craft will have to be capable of vertical takeoff and landing, called VTOL, in order to fit into mini-airports, known as vertiports, spread around cities. And they will have to be quiet enough to take off and land near homes and offices without driving people crazy.

That last challenge could be the greatest one of all—at least in the U.S., where a hodgepodge of local, state, and federal agencies all have to get on board and convince the public that the technology is safe and not too intrusive. In Dubai, it should be easier to get it started. “It’s a monarchy, so they have the ability to move very quickly with things that they get behind strategically,” says Jeff Holden, Uber’s chief product officer. “The certification of machinery and the approach to getting the aircraft through could be a much faster path [than in the U.S.].”

In the U.S., Uber has won over the mayors of both Dallas and Fort Worth. “Every part of this marketplace, we’re seeing tremendous growth, says Dallas Mayor Michael S. Rawlings. “So it’s going to need innovative transportation answers.” Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the largest urban areas in the U.S., and it’s also an airplane-friendly town. “We have a history of aviation,” says Rawlings. “We have American Airlines, Southwest, Bell Helicopter, so many.”

More at link.

Wow, this is a surprise. I think it could work here account the DFW Metroplex is so spread out. Dallas native Ross Perot, Jr., an aviation buff, and served as an Air Force pilot for 8 years.

April 21, 2017

Economic Justice will ALWAYS be more important to me

Than Social Justice because Economic Justice affects many more people. I am NOT saying that Social Justice is unimportant, rather it takes second place to Economic Justice. The fact that Sanders became so popular was because he articulated the view that Economic Justice was and is important. To me, he is the first candidate in a long time to explicitly articulate that view. The push back against him is very telling.

I think that many of the upper class / wealthy Democrats don’t give a damn about Economic Justice, because real Economic Justice would hurt their pocketbook. It’s easy for them to be in favor of Social Justice because Social Justice does not affect their pocketbook, plus it makes them appear to be Liberal / Progressive.

The real touchstone of anyone is how an issue affects their pocketbook. If a person is not explicitly in favor of Economic Justice, then they sure as hell are not a Progressive, no matter what they call themselves.

I also believe that one of the reason Democrats have lost support in the past decades is that they have appeared to be only in favor of Social Justice, while not caring about Economic Justice. This is because I have spoken to a number of people who have articulated just this position.

If all this makes me a Social Democrat, then so be it.

April 5, 2017

If we ever destroy ourselves with nuclear weapons....

I know for a fact that roaches will survive.

I know this because a small roach got into the microwave, I did not see it, and nuked a frozen pot pie. After 3 minutes, I opened the door and the roach was still running around.

March 31, 2017

Driver who killed 13 Senior citizens was texting.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2017/03/31/driver-hit-church-bus-wreck-13-fatalities-texting-witness-said

Thirteen New Braunfels church members were killed in a crash this week, and a witness said it's because their bus was struck by a man who was texting and driving.

Jack Dillon Young, 20, smashed head-on Wednesday into a bus full of 14 senior citizens returning from a choir retreat.

Jody Kuchler, a witness to the horrific crash, told the San Antonio Express-News that he spoke with Young while he was still pinned in his Dodge pickup after the crash.

'He said: 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was texting on my phone,'" said Kuchler. "I told him, 'Son, do you know what you just did?' He just kept saying, 'I'm sorry.'"

Stupid fucking bastard was speeding, swerving and texting. So he killed 13 old people. And everyone was wearing a seatbelt in the church bus.

And he is expected to survive his injuries. His life is over, though. He will spend the rest of his life in Texas Department of Corrections.

March 28, 2017

What do you use for cat and dog flea treatment?

I need advice for cat and dog flea treatment.

We have one 6 yr old dog, male, fixed, 25 pounds (chiweinie).

Three cats:

One 13 yr old fixed male, 15 pounds.
One 8 month old female, 10 pounds.
One 4 months old male, 3 pounds.

Flea are starting early in North Texas. The dog and older cat go outside to potty. The two younger cats are inside only cats. We have a big back yard we are planning to also treat.

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Gender: Male
Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
Home country: USA
Member since: Mon Jun 16, 2008, 10:59 AM
Number of posts: 8,747