SpaceX “Unscheduled rapid disassembly”. It’s not rocket science. Literally.

April 21, 2023

A spokesman for SpaceX said an “unscheduled rapid disassembly” is SpaceX code word for “It blew up”.

After 14 years of exploding vehicles, SpaceX blew up another one yesterday. At least this one didn’t have a crew and it didn’t blow up the launch site. There comes a point when you have to ask if there is a systemic problem associated with all of these failures. It’s not rocket science. NASA has been flying for over 60 years. They know what works and what doesn’t, and how to avoid them in the future.

It’s easy to say after a failure, and SpaceX did, that this was a successful flight (up until it blew up). Science includes learning from your mistakes, miscalculations, poor designs, and reckless development. In the early days of space flight there were accidents, the most notable, Apollo 1, which took the lives of three astronauts. It took 1.5 years to get back to flying after a complete analysis and modifications to the vehicle to prevent another similar accident. That was 60 ago.

Yes human space flight is risky. We know that. We’ve known it for over 60 years. It’s nothing new. Repeating the mistakes of the past is not science. Unfortunately NASA will not be in charge of the Root Cause Analysis and the mistakes and lessons learned will not be made public like the reports from NASA failures.

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“They ought to teach this in school”…well CCISD Does! Career & Technical Education

February 28, 2023

In High School I made a cutting board.

I attended the 6th Session of Inside CCISD and once again was very impressed with the education and resources available to students in our schools. Besides preparing kids for college and giving them the tools to help select a university, apply, and pay for the classes CCISD provides a great Career and Technical Education program for those who will enter the workforce right after high school.

The picture to the left is a two seater plane. The students build this from a kit with the adults being responsible for the items required for certification. They will later sell the plane. Across the hall was the automotive repair shop where students work on their own cars or on cars owned by CCISD employees. This includes oil changes and complete break rebuilds among other things. We also toured the Audio/Video workshop. Students are responsible for the video presentations at football games on the big screen, making the videos for the Inside CCISD presentations, and anything the school requires. If you are watching a video at a CCISD school it was probably made by the students. Many of these students work part time in local auto dealers or with the NCAA in helping with on the field photos and videos during games.

Our meeting included a great lasagne dinner not only served by the students but made by the students. CCISD has Culinary Arts classes as part the Hospitality and Tourism career cluster. It was pretty good! These are just a few courses available to students in CCISD.

So if you hear someone say “They ought to bring back teaching of hands on technical skills” tell them to look at the Career & Technical Education provided by CCISD:

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Travel Review: Las Vegas

December 20, 2022

There is a lot to do in Las Vegas and a lot to lose.

Smoking. It’s been 20 years since I was in Las Vegas. One thing that I thought would have changed was smoking in the casinos. The casinos on the Strip, especially the high end casinos, didn’t have that smoky smell and I didn’t see anyone smoking but there were some where it seemed to be a requirement to smoke as you gamble. It stunk. I stepped into a casino on Fremont Street just to find a bathroom and the place had a cloud of smoke including weed. Weed stinks. You get a whiff once in a while on Fremont Street.

Fremont Street. What a blast. It’s a must see place in Vegas. There are vendors up and down the street some just selling pictures with casino girls or Chippendale dudes, others selling stuff or caricatures. The lights and the light show on the canopy is entertaining. Live music/DJs are provided on 3 stages. Lots of performers looking for tips. Outside bars are available. Hotels are not as fancy as the ones on the Strip. Personally I would stay on the strip and visit Fremont.

The Strip. Lots of stuff to look at throughout the strip as well as lots of walking! They offer a pass for the Monorail that runs from the Sahara to Mandalay Bay. It’s a good way to see all the hotels. The Bellagio has a beautiful water show which runs on the hour and I think every 15 minutes at night. Treasure Island used to have the pirate show but they don’t do that anymore. The Volcano show at the Mirage is no longer as of this past weekend. Hard Rock will be buying out The Mirage. Check for other free outdoor events before you go and make a trip to see them.

Titanic Exhibit at The Luxor

Shows. We saw The Beatles Love at the Mirage. It was very entertaining! Check the web to find out where the best seats are for every performance. Seats closer to the stage were NOT the best seats and were less expensive than those on the first level. It all depends upon the specific show. We also saw David Copperfield at the MGM. That was just incredible!!! There are shows all over Vegas. Pick one or two. We also saw the exhibit Titanic at The Luxor. Again a great exhibit! We went on the LINQ High Roller, the 550 foot tall ferris wheel overlooking the strip. That was about a 35 minute ride and was quite a view.

Hoover Dam. We rented a car for a day at the hotel and drove to see Hoover Dam. Take the tour. It is very interesting and is a break from the hectic Vegas scene. They offer various types of tours of the dam, the power generators, and a hard hat tour. Visit their website for more info and make reservations in advance if needed. We also took the scenic drive around Red Rock. Both trips were fun and took the afternoon. Weather permitting there are a number of hiking opportunities in the area.

The Mob Museum. It is walking distance from the Fremont Experience. It was pretty interesting.

Food and drinks. Unless you are eating at the food courts, don’t expect the food and drinks to be inexpensive. Although I didn’t gamble, it still looks like drinks are at no charge to those who gamble. We sat at a bar to have a drink and was comp-ed because we put $20 into the video poker machine. It turned out to be an expensive drink! LOL. Food at the Casino restaurants was overly expensive. We found a couple of great restaurants for breakfast that was very reasonable outside of the hotels.

Travel. Uber and Lyft are readily available. Watch for prices to soar during rush times. Each hotel has a specific place for Rideshare pickups. Ask where they are or walk down a side street for pickup.

Good luck and enjoy!!!

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It’s time to support the Republican Party in their time of need

September 2, 2022

Come on Republicans! You can do it!

Thank you Mr. Fish https://clowncrack.com

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Qanon running for Texas State Board of Education. Julie Pickren

August 22, 2022

Seriously. You can’t make this stuff up. #NoPlaceButTexas and Manvel Texas.

Julie Pickren is running for the Texas State Board of Education. She is from Manvel Texas, which is about as blood shot red as Donald Trump Jr’s eyes after a coke fest. She owns Glam Unlimited LLC. Pickren was elected to the Alvin Independent School District, another blood shot red area but later resigned.

Pickren attended the Jan 6 Insurrection in Washington DC supporting trump and his conspiracy theories of election fraud. Pickren is running on all of the white wing racist dog whistles such as CRT even thought CRT has never been taught, isn’t being taught, and will never be taught in Texas, or any schools in the United States. But, to Qanon candidates facts don’t really matter to her or voters in Texas. Pickren has no education experience and should be banned from being near any public school in the State.

Pickren has raised about $50,000 with $40,000 coming from 4 individuals including $20,000 from Kathaleen Wall who spent $13 million of her own money in two failed Congressional seat attempts and local sugar daddy State Representative Money Mayes Middleton.

Kathaleen ,Wall15,000.00
Schumacher ,Amanda10,000.00
McMahon ,Linda5,000.00
Middleton ,Mayes5,000.00
Wall ,Kathaleen5,000.00

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It’s over. Misty Dawson’s suit against CCISD has been dropped

August 16, 2022
Misty Dawson with Mike Lindell

Scott Bowen’s 4th vote to become the CCISD President has been lost.

Misty Dawson lost the CCISD election by 43 votes to Jessica Cejka in May. In late June she filed a suit claiming….wait for it….election fraud. Today that suit has been CUUUUU-LOSED!

Just from this one sheet it looks like the petition to drop the case came from Dawson’s attorney. “having considered Contestant’s [Dawson’s] Notice of Nonsuit of Election Contest, hereby ORDERS that all claims asserted in this action against Contestee, JESSICA CEJKA are DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”

I wonder if Scott Bowen’s meddling in this suit had anything to do with it or his possible coordination with the Dawson attorney or maybe the League City Councilmen Justin Hicks meddling did the suit in. Either way, it is over. BTW:

In the formal legal world, a court case that is dismissed with prejudice means that it is dismissed permanently. A case dismissed with prejudice is over and done with, once and for all, and can’t be brought back to court. 

https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/legal-information/difference-between-dismissed-or-without-prejudice

So….it’s over and Scott cannot be President.

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Why do you have to be a dick about everything: Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Again.

August 16, 2022

Leave it to Texas Governor Greg Abbott to be a dick. Again.

Back in November 2021 Abbott made a dick move by celebrating the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse who shot and killed two protesters in Wisconsin. Rittenhouse was underage but carried and used an AR-15 in killing the two human beings which made Abbott gleefully tweet about it and pee in his wheelchair.

Now after 30 years of Republican rule in Texas with still no solutions to our immigration system Abbott has pulled another dick move. Abbott is sending immigrants, who have applied for asylum under the protection of international laws, to other states like New York and Washington DC. Not only is it another stupid stunt, it is just plain Kruel. (As in Kruel. Korrupt. Khaos. The Republican Party returns to it’s roots: The KKK)

This is simply Kruel. Abbott may be giggling and peeing in his wheelchair but these human beings are seeking asylum, leaving their home country, and have been bussed around like cattle. Abbott can’t act like an elected official or a human being and try to solve the problem.

What a dick.

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The Republican Party returns to it’s roots: Khaos. Korruption. Kruelty.

August 6, 2022

Back in 1992 I watched the entire Republican Convention. I remember saying “Phil Gramm bored me. Pat Robertson scared the crap out of me.” Today’s Republican Party attending the CPAC convention should terrify everyone.

CPAC used to be a convention for conservatives, people who believed in respect, honor, and dignity. It was the rally convention for the Republican Party. Today it’s more like the KKK representing the party with Khaos, Korruption, and Kruelty.

Greg Abbott spoke at the convention and gave a standing ovation to their speaker, the extreme far right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who warned about mixing races, the gay community, non-whites, and non-christians among other racist topics. The speech was nothing but racist.  

The convention showed that the Republican Party has returned to it’s true roots of the KKK. They are nothing but Khaos, spewing lies about election fraud when they lose. They cause chaos just for the sake of causing chaos. They lie about everything and when faced with facts, they simply double down on the lies knowing their base are too lazy to research. 

They are Korrupt with many running for office with felony indictments like our State Attorney General Ken Paxton. They are running to the defense of over 800 charged with the assault on our capitol on Jan 6. They turn a blind eye to those who are breaking the law just as long as they are on their side.

And they are simply Kruel. Republicans love to intimidate, allowing 18 year olds to buy assault weapons and walk in public with them. They vilify those that seek a better life here in the United States. They separate children from their mothers. They talk tough. They act tough but are actually cowards like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley running away when faced with conflict. They enjoy pushing the envelope on decency, common sense, and honor. They are racist.

This is the old Republican Party. This is the new Republican Party.

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League City Councilman butting into CCISD lawsuit

August 6, 2022

I do not know Justin Hicks, Councilman for League City, but he is meddling in the legal issues of CCISD and leading the crazies with false information.

After losing the election for School Board, Misty Dawson filed suit claiming (wait for it…..) election fraud, not against CCISD, but against her opponent, Jessica Cejka, demanding a new election and $100,000. At first the CCISD School Board could not agree on whether to fund the defense of Jessica Cejka. At the regular meeting a motion to fund failed by a tied vote with Trustee Scott Bowen leading the “no” votes and Jessica Cejka recusing herself.

At a special meeting this week the board voted to fund the defense of the School District since the lawsuit referenced the election that was conducted by CCISD personnel. Hicks, in a recent Facebook post, claims this funding is illegal. Hicks is an engineer and might have obtained his law degree from Facebook University. His post includes:

This is a violation of Texas Penal code Chapter 39.02, and it is likely a felony on

the school’s part as well as for Jessica Cejka to accept the funds and help.

What I need you to do: Email the entire board and tell them to NOT use taxpayer

funds to defend a personal civil suit (felony). And also remind Jessica Cejka to

recuse herself from this vote as it is a HUGE conflict of interest…. Please do this

before Monday 7/25 and let the board know we don’t appreciate this illegal and

unethical abuse of taxpayer funds.

After consulting with REAL legal counsel, the CCISD Board voted, unanimously, to fund the defense of CCISD with some restrictions. Even Hicks’ buddy Scott Bowen voted in favor of the resolution. Hicks makes not mention of the grievance filed against Bowen for….wait for it…..conflict of interest in this legal situation. 

So Hicks needs to either go back and take a refresher course on Facebook U, or just shut the f*uck up.

The entire Facebook thread can be viewed here.

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Raising Campaign Cash: Dennis Paul

July 31, 2022
NRA Bitch

CNN recently aired a show, Deep in the Pockets of Texas, which highlighted the unlimited money donated to republican causes by just two billionaires. Galveston County has their own oligarch in State Representative “Money” Mayes Middleton.

Over the last 8 years Money donated $8.1 Million to various organizations and candidates, including himself. In 2018 he spent nearly $2 Million of his own money to win a State Representative seat that should have cost $400,000 if it was competitive. (It wasn’t). As of today he has spent over $5 Million on his own campaigns.

Money Mayes considers himself a Christian Conservative but donates money to State Representative Lacy Hull. According to Texas Scorecard, Hull’s husband filed for divorce right after her election claiming she had and affair with State Representative Cole Hefner. Money donated $10,000 to her campaign. He also donated $30,000 to State Representative Valerie Swanson who was also caught up in this sordid affair.

Then there is State Representative Tony Tinderholt. According to the Houston Chronicle Tinderholt has been married FIVE times! So much for the “sanctity of marriage” bullshit. Money donated $7,500 to his campaign. 

Other interesting donations include $13,000 to True Texas Project a conspiracy theory group promoting the “Big Lie”. $50,000 to a home school PAC, $100,000 to Texans for Lawsuit Reform, $186,000 to State Representative Carrie Isaac for her reelection campaign, $300,000 to Louie Gohmert in his failed attempt at the Texas Attorney General race, $76,000 to the Galveston County Republican Party to keep it afloat, $302,000 to the now defunct Empower Texas

He also gave over $151,000 to the Texas Windstorm Action Committee which is strange and over $53,000 to Little Baby Briscoe Cain for various activities.

I’ve posted the entire list here.

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