Sunday Thoughts.

1st & least:
amongst the cargo of the Titanic

1 cs wine-rats!
25 cs biscuits
42 cs wines-crud!
1 bl skins
8 cs orchids
5 pkg skins
5 cs books
2 cs books
1 cs Edison gramophones-"Come quick, I need you!"
4 cs hosiery-Hmmm
1 cs tweed
oak beams
1 cs plants
1 cs speedometers
1 pkg effects
2 cs samples
8 cs paste
3 cs cameras & stands
4 cs books
11 cs orchids
30 cs plants
2 cs lace collars
2 cs books
17 pkg wool fat-say what?
75 bales fish
2 cs hat leather-huh...
3 cs books
1 cs woolens
10 cs books
1 bale skins
856 rolls linoleum-good riddance!
437 casks tea
4 bales skins
76 cs dragon's blood...okay...
3 cs gum
5 cs books
35 cs books
117 cs sponges
2 cs woolens
63 cs champagne-at what pressure do champagne bottles crush...
1 cs felt
2 cs tennis balls
2 pkg skins
1 cs books
2 cs books
1 bx golf balls
4 rolls linoleum
3 bales leather
1 cs hats
6 cs confectionery-bummer.
5 cs books
2 cs boots
3 cs books
1 cs plants
1 cs eggs
1 cs whiskey-now that's a darn shame
1 cs cretonne (silk)
3 cs hair nets-no kidding?
1 cs silk goods
1 cs hair nets
3 cs silk goods
2 cs silk goods
1 cs silk goods
1 cs gloves
2 cs books and lace
5 cs books
1 cs scientific instruments-again; hmmmm
1 cs briar pipes
1,196 bags potatos
318 bags potatos
1 cs velvets
1 cs laces
8 cs laces
1 cs velvet
1 cs raw feathers
3 cs tissues-boo-hoo
3 cs coney skins (rabbit)
1 cs feathers
3 cs leather
15 cs rabbit hair
11 cs feathers
1 cs lace tissue
11 cs refridgeration appratus-really...
1 cs packed packages- of...
3 cs tissues
2 barrels mercury-huh...
1 barrel earth-Earth in a barrel?
2 barrels glassware
1 cs cheese
3 cs hosiery
3 cs silk goods
2 cs ribbons
2 cs flowers
1 cs gloves
6 bales cork-no way that sank
75 cs anchovies
225 cs mussels
1 cs liquor
190 cs liquor-one-hundred and ninety cases :(
25 cs syrups
25 cs preserves
12 cs butter
18 cs oil
2 hogsheads vinegar
19 cs vinegar
6 cs preserves
8 cs dried fruit-not anymore...
10 bundles of 2 cs wine
16 hogshead wine
185 cs wine- one-hundred and eighty five cases...:(
110 cs brandy-Waaaah!
10 hogshead wine
15 cs cognac
100 cs shelled walnuts
70 bundles cheese
30 bundles cheese
2 cs cognac
1 cs liquor
38 cs oil
107 cs mushrooms
1 cs pamphlets
25 cs sardines
3 cs preserves
50 cs wine
6 cs vermouth
4 cs wine
11 cs shelled walnuts
100 bales shelled Walnuts
300 cs shelled walnuts
35 bags rough wood
50 bundles cheese
190 bundles cheese
50 bundles cheese
40 bundles cheese
50 bundles cheese
50 bundles cheese
30 bundles cheese
10 bundles cheese
15 bundles cheese
41 cs filter paper
22 cs mushrooms
25 cs olives
12 bundles capers
10 bundles fish
25 cs olive oil
14 cs mushrooms
285 cask tea
8 bales skins
4 cs opium-well, well; it was 1912...
8 bales skins
8 pkg skins
1 cs skins
2 cs horsehair
2 cs silk
8 bales raw silk
4 pkg hair nets
200 pkg tea
246 cs sardines
1.963 bags potatoes
7 cs raw feathers
10 cs hatters fur
3 cs tissues
1 cs rabbit hair
5 cs fish
10 cs syrups
2 cs liquors
150 cs shelled walnuts
15 bundles cheese
2 cs grandfather clocks
2 cs leather
79 goats skins
16 cs calabashes
5 bales buchu
4 cs embroidery
3 barrels wine
12 cs ostrich feathers
4 cs feathers
3 bales skins
3 bales sheep skins



Titanic's Dining Provisions and Supplies

Fresh Meat 75,000 lbs

Fresh Fish 11,000 lbs

Salt & dried fish 4,000 lbs

Bacon and Ham 7,500 lbs

Poultry and game 25,000 lbs

Fresh Eggs 40,000

Sausages 2,500 lbs

Potatoes 40 tons

Onions 3,500 lbs

Tomatoes 3,500 lbs

Fresh Asparagus 800 bundles

Fresh Green Peas 2,500 lbs

7,000 heads Lettuce

Sweetbreads 1,000

Ice Cream 1,750 lbs

Coffee 2,200 lbs

Tea 800 lbs

Rice,dried beans etc.10,000 lbs

Sugar 10,000lbs

Flour 250 barrels

Cereals 10,000 lbs

36,000 Apples

36,000 Oranges

16,000 Lemons

Grapes 1,000lbs

13,000 Grapefruit

Jams and Marmalade 1,120 lbs

Fresh Milk 1,500 gal

Fresh Cream 1,200 qts

Condensed Milk 600 gals

Fresh Butter 6,000lbs

Ales and Stout 15,000 bottles

Wines 1,000 bottles

Liquor 850 bottles

Minerals 1,200bottles

8,000 cigars

57,600 items of crockery

29,000 pieces of glassware

44,000 pieces of cutlery

I know, where's my compassion? 1500 people died. Still interesting what went down with them.

...and:
When it became evident that the ship would sink, men released the dogs from their kennels. Most of the dogs eventually drowned. But Rigel, a black Newfoundland dog, was able to swim until the rescue ship, Carpathia, arrived. Survivors in one lifeboat were too weak to shout when the ship was about to run them over. But Rigel who had been swimming in the icy water for three hours, was still strong enough to bark. Captain Rostron heard the dog and ordered the ship to stop. Swimming in front of the lifeboat, the dog led the survivors to the starboard gangway.

The first officer of the Titanic was the owner of Rigel. This officer went down with the ship. So Jonas Brigg, a sailor on the Carpathia adopted the dog. Rigel was called a hero and did not seem to have any ill effects from the disaster.

...and then...

It occurred to me in a lucid moment:

The logical next step in the argument for 'The Big Bang' is that it was the expanded consciousness of a fully 'evolved' man that brought about the impetus for the creation of all matter from a cataclysmic and cosmic explosion. This epiphany nearly made me sit up in bed, then I realized that this must be the perfect explanation of the origin of relativism and it's 'Big Bang' theory; invented by some dude. Hmmm, the 'dude' was really God and thinking reality into being may well have made noise. God usually has the biggest noises. I was explaining to Anna this morning, as we drove to church (and then turned around because I missed the turn to pick up Tim) that the sun could not really fall to earth. It's too big. It's too hot and it's busy being in space with us spinning around it.

Pastor Tim Porter spoke on the divinity of God's Son today. I started thinking about the sacrifice of a son and how real the image of Jesus' obedient sacrifice was; so much pain for His father, in Heaven. The concept of a son sacrificed to pay for an inescapable debt is one thing when it's from my perspective a 'Son of Christ' 1 John 3:1-2, quite another if I put Timmy in that picture. I want to take men by the facehair, point to their son and ask "Is God's sacrifice clear if it were him?"

Why Are People Alone?

I have been thinking about my friends who are single and would rather not be, and wondering "Why"?

I would understand it if they were like me; contrary, cantankerous, curmudgeonly, aloof and introverted...did I add conceited?

But God has seen fit to surround me with the other kind of people; warm, supportive, vulnerable, honest and caring. Why would these people be alone? I just think about all that they could be giving to a love-relationship and it really awakens my compassion.

Is it appropriate for me to play Cupid?

Falled Asleep

Joe Kittinger, Bad-ass

Joe Kittinger was born in 1928 and became interested in aeronautics at a young age. He had made his first solo fight by the age of 17 and joined the Air Force by 21. Kittinger received his wings in 1950 and served as a pilot in the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany until 1953. In 1954, he became a test pilot for the Air Force Missile Development Center at Holloman AFB in New Mexico where Kittinger flew experimental fighters and became involved in aerospace medical research. One project he participated in was a rocket sled experiment that accelerated Colonel John Paul Stapp to high speeds in order to determine how gravitational stress affects the human body. Stapp later became a leader of the Air Force's high-altitude research program and recommended Kittinger as a test pilot. This research effort explored the ability of humans to survive and function at high altitudes and helped support the early space program. Kittinger first joined a program called Project Man High in 1956. This program experimented with using a balloon to carry a man to high altitude in order to study the effects of cosmic rays on human physiology and psychology. The balloon reached such high altitudes that the pilot flew above 99% of the Earth's atmosphere in a space-like environment for extended periods of time. Due to the low density at such extreme heights, the balloons used were massive with a diameter over 172 ft (53 m) and a volume of 2 million ft3 (56,600 m3). Suspended beneath was a gondola containing a cramped capsule for the lone pilot. Kittinger completed the first Man High ascent on 2 June 1957 and remained aloft for almost seven hours. He reached a peak height of 96,760 ft (29,500 meters) and set a balloon altitude record. Kittinger was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his efforts.

Kittinger next joined the Escape Section of the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory located at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio in 1958. He became a test pilot in Project Excelsior that explored the ability of a human to survive escaping from a high altitude capsule by parachute. Kittinger made a series of three jumps from the open gondola of a balloon while wearing a pressurized suit to survive in the cold sub-zero temperatures and low pressures high above the Earth's surface. Kittinger's first high-altitude jump came on 16 November 1959 when he bailed out of the Excelsior I balloon at a height of 76,000 ft (23,165 m) over the New Mexico desert. He carried a small parachute intended to open after Kittinger had fallen for 16 seconds. This small chute would stabilize his decent and prevent Kittinger from going into a flat spin. However, a malfunction in the parachute caused it to open after just two seconds into his fall and wrap around Kittinger's neck. As he began to spiral uncontrollably, Kittinger quickly became unconscious and hurtled toward the Earth while tumbling at a rate of 120 revolutions per minute. Thankfully, his emergency parachute worked as designed and opened automatically once Kittinger had fallen to 10,000 ft (3,050 m). The parachute slowed Kittinger's rate of descent and saved his life.

Just three weeks after his nearly fatal close call, Kittinger made his next jump from the Excelsior II on 11 December 1959. Kittinger piloted the balloon to 74,700 ft (22,770 m) before he stepped out of the gondola on his trip back to Earth. His record free-fall lasted 55,000 ft (16,765 m) before Kittinger pulled his ripcord and his parachute deployed for a safe landing. The successful jump earned Joseph Kittinger the Leo Stevens parachute medal. Captain Kittinger's third and final attempt came on 16 August 1960. He was lifted high into the stratosphere while riding in the gondola of the Excelsior III helium-filled balloon and reached a new record altitude of 102,800 ft (31,330 m). Kittinger's mark broke the previous record held by Major David Simons who had climbed to 101,516 ft (30,942 m) aboard the Man High II balloon in 1957. It took Kittinger an hour and a half to float up to his peak altitude, although a problem arose at 43,000 ft (13,105 m) when he felt a sharp pain in his right hand due to a failure in the glove of his pressure suit. Although the problem could have aborted the mission, Kittinger chose to continue.

Kittinger remained at his peak altitude, over three times higher than a commercial airliner typically flies, for about 12 minutes before he stepped off the "Highest Step in the World" to begin his fall to the Earth's surface. In addition to his pressure suit, Kittinger carried instruments and safety gear that weighed as much as he did. He also wore several layers of clothing to help protect him against the extremes of his high-altitude environment. During his fall, Kittinger experienced air temperatures as low as -94°F (-70°C)! He had fallen for 13 seconds when he opened a small 6 ft (1.8 m) stabilization parachute to prevent spinning, but his free-fall continued for a total of 4 minutes 36 seconds until Kittinger's main 28 ft (8.5 m) parachute deployed at an altitude of 18,000 ft (5,500 m). This chute allowed the pilot to slow his decent and make a gentle, safe landing in the New Mexico desert about eight minutes later. In addition to the extreme pain in his right hand, Kittinger also suffered breathing difficulties between 90,000 and 70,000 ft (27,430 to 21,225 m), but these problems did not prevent his successful jump. His amazing jump set several records that still stand today. Kittinger's records include the highest balloon ascent to 102,800 ft, highest parachute jump from 102,800 ft, and longest free-fall of 4 minutes 36 seconds. Kittinger also set a record for the fastest speed by a man through the atmosphere of 614 mph, although he later said he "had absolutely no sense of the speed." The Air Force honored his achievements during these three jumps by decorating him with the oak leaf cluster for his Distinguished Flying Cross, and Kittinger was also awarded the C.B. Harmon International Trophy by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960.

Joe Kittinger is not a household aviation name like Neil Armstrong or Chuck Yeager. But what he did for the U. S. space program is comparable.

On Aug. 16, 1960, as research for the then-fledgling U. S. space program, Air Force Captain Joseph Kittinger rode a helium balloon to the edge of space, 102,800 feet above the earth, a feat in itself. Then, wearing just a thi n pressure suit and breathing supplemental oxygen, he leaned over the cramped confines of his gondola and jumped--into the 110-degree-below-zero, near-vacuum of space. Within seconds his body accelerated to 714mph in the thin air, breaking the sound barrier. After free-falling for more than four and a half minutes, slowed finally by friction from the heavier air below, he felt his parachute open at 14,000 feet, and he coasted gently down to the New Mexico desert floor.

Kittinger's feat showed scientists that astronauts could survive the harshness of space with just a pressure suit and that man could eject from aircraft at extreme altitudes and survive. Upon Kittinger's return to base, a congratulatory telegram was waiting from the Mercury Seven astronauts--including Alan Shepard and John Glenn.

More than four decades later Kittinger's two world records--the highest parachute jump, and the only man to br eak the sound barrier with out a craft and live--still stand. We decided to visit the retired colonel and Aviation Hall of Famer, now 75, at his home in Altamonte Springs, Florida, to recall his historic jump.

FORBES GLOBAL:

Take us back to New Mexico and Aug. 16, 1960.

Joe Kittinger: We got up at 2 a.m. to start filling the helium balloon At sea level, it was 35 to 40 feet wide and 200 feet high; at altitude, due to the low air pressure, it expanded to 25 stories in width, and still was 20 stories high! At 4 a.m. I began breathing pure oxygen for two hours. That's how long it takes to remove all the nitrogen from your blood so you don't get the bends going so high s o fast. Then it was a lengthy dress procedure layering warm clothing under my pressure suit. They kept me in air- conditioning until it was time to launch because we were in the desert and I wasn't supposed to sweat. If I did, my clothes would freeze on the way up.

How was your ascent?

It took an hour and a half to get to altitude. It was cold. At 40,000 feet, the glove on my right hand hadn't inflated. I knew that if I radioed my doctor, he would abort the flight. If that happened, I knew I might never get another chance because there were lots of people who didn't want this test to happen. I took a calculated risk, that I might lose use of my right hand. It quickly swelled up, and I did lose use for the duration of the flight. But the rest of the pressure suit worked. When I reached 102,800 feet, maximum altitude, I wasn't quite over the target. So I drifted for 11 minutes. The winds were out of the east.

What's it look like from so high up?

You can see about 400 miles in every direction. The formula is 1.25 x the sq. root of the altitude in thousands of feet. (The square root of 102,000 ft is 319 X 1.25 = 399 miles) The most fascinating thing is that it's just black overhead--the transition from normal blue to black is very stark. You can't see stars because there's a lot of glare from the sun, so your pupils are too small. I was struck with the beauty of it. But I was also struck by how hostile it is: more than 100 degrees below zero, no air. If my protection suit failed, I would be dead in a few seconds. Blood actually boils above 62,000 feet.
I went through my 46-step checklist, disconnected from the balloon's power supply and lost all communication with the ground. I was totally under power from the kit on my back. When everything was done, I stood up, turned around to the door, took one final look out and said a silent prayer: "Lord, take care of me now." Then I just jumped over the side.

What were you thinking as you took that step?

It's the beginning of a test. I had gone through simulations many times--more than 100. I rolled over and looked up, and there was the balloon just roaring into space. I realized that the balloon wasn't roaring into space; I was going down at a fantastic rate! At about 90,000 feet, I reached 714mph*. The altimeter on my wrist was unwinding very rapidly. But there w as no sense of speed. Where you determine speed is visual--if you see something go flashing by. But nothing flashes by 20 miles up--there are no signposts there, and you are way above any clouds. When the chute opened, the rest of the jump was anticlimactic because everything had worked perfectly. I landed 12 or 13 minutes later, and there was my crew waiting. We were elated.

How about your right hand?

It hurt--there was quite a bit of swelling and the blood pressure in my arm was high. But that went away in a few days, and I regained full use of my hand.

*History records that Joe only reached 614 MPH; If Joe say's 714 MPH, who am I to say different?

Shooting at Critters

Another fine, Man Code post.

Don't Do It!

First Tooth Gone Missing

The going rate from the Toothe Faerie is $1!

'Tear, posterior horn, medial meniscus'...yada, yada, yada...

So that's why my knee hurts...

1. Tear, posterior horn, medial meniscus, horizontal oblique morphology with origin from the inferior articular surface of the meniscus

The meniscus is torn and floating around, aimless in the joint...


2. Reactive bony changes or contusion injury, outer medial tibial plateau.

This just means that the top of the tibia has developed some structure(s) that impede the movement and cause grinding of all the parts.

Back to the drawing board...

She Say What?

Beauty Hockey, Eh?

I'd have to be crazy to stop all my singin'
And never play music again.
You'd call me a fool if I grabbed up my top hat
And ran out to flag down the wind.

I'd have to be weird to grow me a beard
just to see what the rednecks would do,
but I'd have to be crazy; plumb out of my mind
to fall out of love with you

I know I've done weird things;
I told people I hear things
When silence was all around
There's been days when it pleased me
to be on my knees,

following ants as they crawled 'cross the ground;
Been insane on a train, but I'm still me again,
In the place where I hold you it's true
So I know I'm all right, 'cause I'd have to be crazy
to fall out of love with you.

You know I don't intend to, but should there come a day
when I say that I don't love you, you can lock me away.

It sure would be dingy, to live in an envelope
Waiting alone for a stamp.
You'd swear I was loco to rub for a genie
While burning my hand on the lamp.

And I may not be normal, but nobody is
So I'd like to say this 'fore I'm through
I'd have to be crazy, plumb out of my mind
to fall out of love with you
Willie Nelson

I love my little girl; she brings sunshine wherever she goes; I know you've heard me say this before but that doesn't change how good my kids make me feel to be their dad.

They'll play hockey next year; not because I want them to, but because they are attracted to the game although Anna thinks it's too loud. Tim follows the game and notices the passes (missed and made); he admires hustle and puck-handling; laughs when a good player fakes someone out. He is pleased when it's a good clean goal; it doesn't matter who scored it.

The Lord is my Coach, I shall not want.

Hondo

We have 3 Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs that each weigh 100 pounds; this is occasionally brought to my attention by friends who either have a 30-40 pound dog(s) or have no dogs at all. We are obliged to 'super-size' some things to accommodate them; example: it seems that they each drink a gallon of water every day, so we use a horse feed-pail as a water dish.

There is something irretrievably goofy about BIG dogs, as if their odd behavior is somehow magnified by their size. Hondo was taking a drink when the tags on his collar somehow got hooked on the handle of the pail. Picture in your mind Hondo's attempt to flee: the half-full pail swinging from his neck across the dining-room, wild eyes roll; scrabbling feet on the hardwood floor; water cascading...

Derrick and I caught Hondo, released him from the claim of the awful, clinging pail and got all the water toweled up. It was a mirthful moment, indeed.

The particular thing about Hondo is not just the frequency of these occasions, but how he manages to create, in them, a comedy that would be mere annoyance and inconvenience if it happened to the other dogs. It may be his otherwise quiet manner that so contrasts the extremity of his antics.

Woot to the max.

Dan, my other Brother

This is Saddam's throne. He didn't say so, but I bet Dan farted in it.