Monthly Archives: February 2010

Mozambique Luxury

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gulfI have noticed over the last several weeks an increasing number of articles about luxury private island retreats. Perhaps this is a sign of economic recovery as during the peak of the recession private island articles tended to focus on budget island retreats.

An interesting article in Canada’s the Toronto Star examines the Gulf Islands a region well known among the elite for being a playground of the rich and famous. Here is a clip from the article.

.–”No peeking in people’s windows,” warns the captain as our ferry docks at Useppa, one of southwest Florida’s private islands.

This members-only country club allows day-trippers to sample its restaurant, tour its grounds, and visit its gem of a small museum. Noblesse oblige.

To read the full article visit the Toronto Star

ID Controlled and OD Controlled Pipes

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I am still not clear in ID and OD controlled pipes.

Some of the answers i got are

O.D. controlled

: This designation is used when the outside diameter of the pipe is the controlling factor in the selection of the pipe.

I.D. controlled

: This designation is us

How to Size Capacitor Banks

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Dear Sir,

Normally the reactive power is varied upon the load in a time period.

So to sizing the capacitor bank, is it right that we need to reach the maximum reactive power value in that time frame? do we need to spare some?

NASA’s 2011 Budget

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On Obama’s change in NASA’s direction:

First let me say that I am genuinely concerned for my buddies working the Constellation program. I pray for them that their families and their careers may be provided for. I’m really glad that Obama asks for $2.5 Billion in Constellation closeout costs, because I hope that that keeps paying for my friend’s kid’s baby food. I have already felt the same way for my friend’s valiantly supporting the shuttle throughout it’s glorious ULF5(7?) end. It’s like knowingly marching towards a cliff because you believe in what you are doing.


Secondly, I must say that policy wise, I like Obama’s 2011. Here is why:

With regard to the constellation program, here is what is wrong with it, which feelings I have held long before Monday’s Moon shattering revelations:


The Orion crew size recently dropped to 4 from 6. 4 is a very small number. That’s 1 more than the 40 year old Russian Soyuz. That’s 2 less than the space stations current crew compliment. That’s less than the fingers that I have on one hand. Its. too. small.

After George Bush axed the ISS lifeboat, Centrifuge Accommodation Module, and habitation module, Mr Bush got us all spun up about the Constellation thing: (Blast you for fueling our dreams with speeches and not cash!)

“Our second goal is to develop and test a new spacecraft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, by 2008, and to conduct the first manned mission no later than 2014.”

CEV has not been funded and is not on track to meet those deadlines. Also, Ares 1, the rocket to take it to space, wouldn’t be ready by then anyway. And a crew of 4!!!

“Our third goal is to return to the moon by 2020, as the launching point for missions beyond. Beginning no later than 2008, we will send a series of robotic missions to the lunar surface to research and prepare for future human exploration. Using the Crew Exploration Vehicle, we will undertake extended human missions to the moon as early as 2015, with the goal of living and working there for increasingly extended periods. Eugene Cernan, who is with us today — the last man to set foot on the lunar surface — said this as he left: “We leave as we came, and God willing as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.” America will make those words come true. (Applause.)”

Roboti-who? Twenty Fift-when!?! Please folks, hold your applause, really.

“NASA’s current five-year budget is $86 billion. Most of the funding we need for the new endeavors will come from reallocating $11 billion within that budget. We need some new resources, however. I will call upon Congress to increase NASA’s budget by roughly a billion dollars, spread out over the next five years. This increase, along with refocusing of our space agency, is a solid beginning to meet the challenges and the goals we set today. It’s only a beginning. Future funding decisions will be guided by the progress we make in achieving our goals.”

Two words. Not. True.

If that wasn’t enough, NASA picked reliable low performance non space regenerative hypergolic fuel for the thrusters of the Orion capsule, rather than methane, which was in the original planes, which can be harvested from Mars, volatile rich regions of the lunar poles, or anywhere else in the solar system where there is ice. Or an ECLSS by-product. Lame disappointment.Ares 1 was really behind schedule.

The Lunar Lander contract was not funded. Ares 5 was not funded. And it was January 2010. Come on! The RFI for the Altair Conceptual Design Contract came out a long time ago!

Europe, Russia, Japan, and China were completely out of the Constellation picture. That’s not cool. And that’s not economically viable. And international partnerships are probably the deciding factor for why the space station has survived to maturity.

Those were probably my biggest misgivings about the current program. When you read the awesome fanfare and plans with which the program was announced, it’s easy to see why so many people love it, but the Constellation program, as pointed out by our Augustine graybeards, wasn’t living up to the hype, and needed even more cash than Obama is giving the agency to get going.

With regard to the new program, It really is pouring in a lot of money into developing new capabilities. Whatever Obama’s 8 year successor dreams up (moon, mars?), he will have a beefier toolbox to make his plans with. If Obama gets a advanced interplanetary propulsion (VASIMIR) and a matured heavy launcher and multiple commercial providers for crew to Low Earth Orbit by the end of his presidency… that would be so enabling-ly awesome.

Any multi-billionaire person or government could throw some seriously cool hardware to all of the places in the inner solar system that they wanted to go. So long as that person was buddy with the US government and Obama follows through with that export control reform.

The program of record would not do that.

So I’m excited about the new direction.

And by the way, for the first time since George Bush Senior, NASA’s budget will see year over year increase. Clinton reduced the budget 7 out of his 8 years. George W funded NASA at lower levels than he himself established in the VSE in 2005. It’s like getting a mortgage on your house that costs $2000 a month because your boss says that you are getting a raise, and then he doesn’t give it to you, so you are stuck with your income of $1900. What happens to a space program in that situation? Crappy design. Behind schedule. COMPROMISE!

Rock on Obama’s 2011 NASA Budget! May you live forever (Or at least through the Congressional process, which is run by a bunch of vote hungry short sighted sensationalists!)


I am more excited about a career with opportunity for lots of cool developmental projects in 2020 using cutting edge technology than to find myself trying to pick up the pieces of all those NASA folks who are retiring as they leave me with a program that still hasn’t landed on the moon, is under capability, and hasn’t broken any new ground beside the schedule.

Now, go! Tell your representatives what you think! Email, Fax, Call, and Visit your Congressmen to tell them to say “Heck yes,” to the NASA part of Obama’s 2011 budget. Don’t let the crazies get in it’s way!

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Colorado’s Fatty Foods Tax pushed by Democrat Gov. Ritter, Liberal Social Engineers

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NANNY-STATE WATCH!

It really is about Social Engineering

From Eric Dondero:

It's being called the Twinkie Tax. Colorado's Democrat Governor Bill Ritter is calling for a 3% across the board tax on groceries that have been deemed unhealthy such as sugary snacks, cakes, cookies, candie bars, some fast foods and soda.

It has unanimous support among Democrats in the state legislature. They've been joined enthusiastically by liberal special interests groups wanting to control the personal habits of Coloradoans. Meanwhile conservatives and libertarians are teaming up to try to put a stop to its passage.

Ritter knows what's best for Coloradoans... and their waistlines

From the Denver Daily News, Dems "Sweet on Twinkie Tax":

Jon Caldara of the Independence Institute, a Golden-based libertarian think tank, argues that Ritter was elected to be the governor, not to be a nanny who decides which potentially unhealthy products should be taxed. He joked that after upsetting some Colorado drivers by raising car registration fees with FASTER, Ritter has now found a way to upset the kids of Colorado.

“This legislature will go down as the Grinches who taxed gumdrops,” he said.

Meanwhile, supporters of the bill are revealing themselves to represent every finger-waving ninny stereotype that freedom-minded rightwingers paint them as. Continuing:

But at least one Colorado health group has come out in favor of the candy and soda tax. Maren Stewart, president and CEO of LiveWell Colorado, said in a statement that her group supports policies that limit the consumption of unhealthy food like soda and candy.

“The governor’s proposal to eliminate the sales-tax exemption for candy and soda will not exclusively solve the problem because it’s a very complex and complicated problem,” she said. “We are hopeful, however, that eliminating the exemption could lead to healthier choices.”

Note - the portly Gov. Ritter recently decided against running for re-election.

Photo - Gov. Ritter, right, dining with lobbyists.

Turbocharger Leaks Oil

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We are commissioning a gas engine run on producer gas generatd in a woody biomass gasifier. It was seen that engine oil is accumulated in the intercooler. There was no oil before the turbo-charger. This unit has been operated only for less than 100 hours. How enver, we have replaced the sealing ring

Dust Extraction

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Hey Everyone,

I'm a 3rd year chemical engineering student doing vac work at a company associated with TiO2 (pigment) production. Ive got a project at the moment to improve the dust extraction system where the pigment is being packed.

The system basically is a fan + motor to a 45mm diamater

Bolden Talks About The Constellation Team

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"NASA Administrator Charles Bolden outlines the Administration's fiscal year 2011 budget request as the agency's road map for a new era of innovation and discovery, and answers questions from reporters as the featured Newsmaker at the National Press Club in Washington Feb. 2"

Keith's note: If you go to 55:18 in this video, I ask Charlie Bolden how he is going to get people to make the transition from flying government-operated spacecraft to commerically- operated spacecraft - and the emotion that goes with making the transition from one way of thinking to another. Bolden's reply gets deep into the emotions and mindsets that underly the changes that the Constellation workforce is now going through - and how he is going to work through that process with them.

Transcript below

Cowing: "To the issue of flying astronauts in commercial vehicles: After all the talk yesterday I sort of sat around last night doing a mental, totally unscientific poll in my head of people I have talked to - people like Ken Bowersox who work for these companies. I came up with a number - 60% of the astronauts say "nah, I wouldn't do it" - and 40% who would. And then I thought - "well, what's behind this?" Its all emotional - its like some emotional latter day "Right Stuff ". They use logic to defend why they would not [fly]. How do you get beyond that? What are you going to say to the astronaut corps - "this is how it is?" Its not just the Corps - its the larger group of people that support them. How are you going to work at that?"

Bolden: "My message to the work force - did everybody understand Keith's question? First of all, and he hit the mail on the head. This is all emotional. And the reason that I started my comments by thanking the Constellation Team - you've got to understand, everybody has had a death in the family. To people who are working on these programs, this is like a death in the family. Everybody needs to understand that. And we need to give them time to grieve, and the we need to give them time to recover.

I have an incredible workforce of civil servants and civilians. They have been through this before. This is just part of the life of being in NASA. And every time we manage to pull through it, and we manage to recover, we go off and do great things. This time will be no different. Now, that doesn't make an employee at the Kennedy Space Center or the Johnson Space Center or Marshall Space Flight Center or a contractor that any of these seven people represent - that doesn't give them a great sense of solace. Because they are facing reality.

But what I tell them is - Look, we're going to get through this. Stick with us - if you can. Some of you will decide that this just isn't exciting enough for you - and you want to go do other things. And I appreciate the service that you have given. Allow us to help you in your transition and if at all possible let us help you find some work somewhere else that is going to be passionate to you. I am a big person for passion. I am here because I am passionate about space and exploration. Otherwise I'd be sitting in Houston, Texas or I'd be in San Diego with my three granddaughters. I am here because I am passionate about this. I cry about it some times - so what.

This is my life. This is their lives. And give them a little time. They'll come back. And they are going to be as great as they have always been. So, just bear with them, and give them some time - they'll be back."

Genset Controllers

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Dear Engineers,

I am surfing through in this forum for more infor on the genest controllers notably those digital types rather than the conventional types with synchro scope but couldn't find them so i have decided to start this discussion.

I understand in the market there are couple of br

Just when you thought New York’s elections 2010 couldn’t get any more Wild and Crazy

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Kudlow to jump in against Chuck Schumer?

From Eric Dondero:

As reported here at Libertarian Republican, the New York Governor's race is shaping up to be a completely chaotic free-for-all on all sides; a Cuomo vs. the hapless incumbent Paterson, failed Hillary foe Rick Lazio for the Republicans and even a Libertarian Party primary between a wealthy upstate lawyer and a celebrity call-girl madam involved in the take-down of former governor Eliot Spitzer.

Now it's increasingly likely that the previously unthinkable may occur: The State's two US Senate seats could be contested.

Rumors have been swirling for months of a Pataki challenge to Gillibrand. A new poll lends credibility to a potential Pataki effort. From The Albany Times-Union:

in a general-election matchup, Gillibrand lags former Gov. George Pataki 43 percent to 49 percent.

Kudlow's got the Conservative Party line if he wants it

And now this from LoHud.com (Lower Hudson Valley):

The state’s Conservative Party’s executive committee yesterday passed a resolution that urges CNBC host Larry Kudlow to run for the U. S. Senate against Sen. Charles Schumer.

The calls for Kudlow to run will likely increase after a Marist College Poll yesterday showed Schumer’s approval rating dropped below 50 percent for the first time in nine years.

There’s also a Draft Kudlow Committee set up by western New York political activist Michael Caputo.

So far, Kudlow hasn’t indicated he plans to run for the seat, though he has met with state GOP chairman Ed Cox and Conservative Party chairman Michael Long and said last week that he’s going to give it careful consideration.

Larry Kudlow Libertarian for Senate?

Kudlow is a known Ayn Rand devotee, and has been described on occasion as a "libertarian." Andrew Miller at BigGovernment.com reports the following, "Kudlow should run against Schumer":

New York Tea Party leaders are talking up the potential candidacy of CNBC Talking Head and former Reagan Advisor Larry Kudlow. A graduate of the University of Rochester, Kudlow is one of the architects of the Reagan tax-cuts that sparked one of the great economic boom in modern times... as a leading anti-tax supply side economist. Kudlow is also known as one of the most effective debaters on the Right.

Kudlow is the kind of candidate who could raise tea party money across America . Kudlow could also command the Republican and Conservative nominations and might even be able to petition his way on the ballot as the Libertarian party nominee.

Kudlow's entry would make for a very interesting Senate race, certainly overshadowing Pataki vs. Gillibrand. It would be a clash of the giants. The outspoken, tough-minded Kudlow no doubt has the ability to match the scrappy Schumer in the rough and tumble world of New York politics.

CxP Fights Back: The Video

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Keith's note: I can totally understand this. We went through an identical mindset at the Space Station Freedom Program Office in 1993. Something we had worked very hard on was taken away from us - unfairly, so we believed. We wanted to fight back - to tell the truth. But all we had was fax machines and email. FWIW it is out of my personal frustration with this experience that NASA Watch eventually emerged a few years later.

As time passed, and the bitterness faded, and the ISS became what it is, all of us from Freedom program eventually realized that "ISS" or "Alpha" was indeed "Freedom" after all. It was also clear that while a lot of what we did ended up in boxes sent off to recycling, that a small part of our efforts - our creativity - and our souls - ended up on orbit. That will happen for the Constellation folks as well.

Charlie Bolden talked about this today at the National Press Club in response to a question I asked.

If y'all want to use NASA Watch to vent, be my guest. I'll let you post without any commentary from me.

I have omitted all unnecessary detail. But this email has been getting very very wide circulation within CxP.

"From:Hanley, Jeffrey M. (JSC-ZA111)
Sent:Tuesday, February 02, 2010 4:06 PM
To:JSC-DL-Cx-Senior-Staff
Subject:Fw: Save Constellation! (The Video)

From: [DELETED] (JSC-ZA111)
To: Hanley, Jeffrey M. (JSC-ZA111) [DELETED]
Sent: Tue Feb 02 14:53:10 2010
Subject: FW: Save Constellation! (The Video)

In the vein of 'not going down without a fight, 'one of our key I-X members put together this video after hearing about the proposed demise of CxP. It's a great memory of how far we have come in making real stuff in such a short time. You have to love our collective team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2IQVZmHnJQ"

"From:Turzillo, Calvin P [mailto:DELETED@usa-spaceops.com]
Sent:Tuesday, February 02, 2010 9:14 AM
To: Huge email list [DELETED at UNITED SPACE ALLIANCE LLC]
Cc:[DELETED at UNITED SPACE ALLIANCE LLC]

Subject:Save Constellation! (The Video)

You all know me, I'm not the passive type. Instead of just sitting back, I am going to take a stand. I've stayed up for 26 hours straight and dug through hundreds of hours of NASA archive footage. The end result is what I consider to be my best video to date. I even fully licensed the music so there is no legal ambiguity.

Post, distribute, and forward as you see fit. I tried to hit all the key folks that would be interested, but there are still plenty more that I have missed. Let's make the public aware that we need to save Constellation!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2IQVZmHnJQ

Calvin Turzillo

The thoughts and opinions expressed in the message are my own, and may not reflect those of NASA or its contractors."

Anonymous NASA Employee: The following youtube video, although originally created by a disgruntled USA employee from JSC, is now being widely circulated by the Cx program and none other than Jeff Hanley himself (see entire thread below).

The disturbing aspect of this is that the "save constellation" video reeks with distortions right from the beginning ... showing President Obama making the promises to keep NASA strong and maintain USA leadership in space, and then goes on to lament that "the PROMISE has been broken" .... with a stream of supposed Cx accomplishments following. The implication that Obama is bringing down human space-flight and breaking promises is disingenuous at best and a downright fabrication at worst. Maintaining a strong NASA and leadership in space does not (contrary to what the Cx-huggers would have one believe) necessarily mean funding a failed program indefinitely just because JSC thinks it should be so. Nowhere in the lead in to this video does the President to keep the Constellation program. Some might argue, including the Augustine commission, that dismantling Constellation is an act of immense support for NASA and the only way to sustain a strong program that won't we swallowed by cost overruns and misguided goals. The fact that Hanley is participating in the distribution of this kind of propaganda is deplorable. He should be removed immediately and certainly should not take part in planning exercises related to NASA's new direction. This is just one example of this kind of "dig-in" philosophy that is the undertone of all Cx led tele-cons (and I've been in on several already this week) describing the new vision. If we are lucky, part of the reason for canceling Constellation rather than restructuring it, is to make it easier to replace the entire management team going forward.

Other flaws of the video? The Desert Rats activity shown as immediate evidence of what has been built isn't even part of the Constellation program and will probably be protected under the new direction. The Ares 1X footage is weak at best if the intent is to show that we've made so much progress that NASA will be in ruins if we stop now. On the contrary, it may be in ruins if we continue. Time "invention of the year" aside, most engineers willing to really examine the evidence know that Ares 1x was as much a PR stunt as a demonstration of an advanced rocket. And then the video goes on to talk about the thousands of jobs that will be lost and the dreams of future generations that will go unrealized. For many people it is not a dream to repeat the accomplishments of 40-years ago using non-innovative technologies, being trapped with a point-design solution that gets us to the moon but nowhere else ... while at the same time robbing NASA of funds necessary for broader programs in space and Earth science (despite the "Earth, Moon, Mars" wording on the final pages pleading for people to contact their representatives.

Although I respect and admire the dedication of the person who made this, ultimately it is propaganda at its worst and has no place being forwarded endlessly by high-level Cx Project managers. These people claim to support Mr. Bolden and the change in direction as an opportunity while actively fueling resentment and deflating morale by encouraging the distribution of this kind of misguided and flawed message.

The Politics Behind Opposing Changes at NASA

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Alabama lawmakers vow to save Constellation moon mission, Huntsville Times

"Already, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., plans to use a Feb. 24 hearing to explore the feasibility of continuing with Ares I testing in the hope of developing a "light" version of the Ares V cargo launch vehicle "so America isn't relying only (on) commercial vendors," a spokesman said via e-mail."

Hatch Blasts Obama, The Main Street Journal

"Hatch has played a vital role in helping Utah's NASA contractors diversify their manufacturing base and products. Over the past three years, for example, he helped secure nearly $30 million for ATK/Hill Air Force Base's Advanced Automated Composite Technologies and Manufacturing Center."

Giffords should resign as Chair of Space Subcommittee, Jesse Kelley For Congress

"Representative Gabrielle Giffords should immediately resign as Chair of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. She has a clear conflict of interest from the tens of thousands of dollars her campaign has received from the aerospace industry. She took in over $10,000 in one day alone from people at large corporations such as ATK, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and United Space Alliance. These are companies who stand to make or lose millions of dollars based on decisions made by her subcommittee."

Jobs at stake in Louisiana as NASA shifts gears, Business Week

"In a statement, U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said he was concerned about the shift in the space program's direction, saying it would be devastating for Michoud. He said he favored a plan building on existing technologies based on the shuttle. "But we should do it now, not just talk about it vaguely for the future and lose all of our human capital and expertise and Michoud and other centers," said Vitter, a member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science and Space."

Battle over NASA's future heads to Congress, Orlando Sentinel

"President Barack Obama's proposal to kill NASA's moon program and replace it with commercial rockets has drawn the ire of both Democrats and Republicans, who protest the move is either a "death march" for human spaceflight or a "radical departure" that will cost thousands of jobs."

If you’re Gay, skip that Vacation to Montego Bay

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Rasta Muslim leader wants Death Penalty for Homosexuals

From Eric Dondero:

The home of Bob Marley, Ganja, white sand beaches and Coconut Rum has just gotten a little less tolerant.

Reports the Jamaica Observer:

Under Jamaican law, persons who practice buggery — the sexual penetration of the anus — can be sent to prison for up to 10 years.

But now the leader of Jamaica's Muslims wants to significantly increase these penalties. Mustafa Muhammad, President of the Islamic Council of Jamaica, has just called for the Death Penalty for Homosexuals.

Continuing:

Mustafa Muhammad, says he agrees with the Sharia law which prescribes death for people who openly flaunt homosexual behaviour.

Muhammad did not mince words as he lashed out against what he described as an unclean, unnatural lifestyle.

"It is illegal and in the Sharia law the punishment is death. If you follow Christianity it is a crime in the sight of God. He destroyed a whole city because of this thing. It is an ungodly practice and I apologise to no one for this," Muhammad said. [...]

He then went on to seemingly back the Muslim custom of females wearing head-to-toe burqas:

"If a Muslim woman chooses to cover up herself it is seen as oppressive, but it is wicked to criticise homosexuals?"

(H/t Jihad Watch.)

Holy Crap! MedCo Follows in CVS footsteps

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By December 21st the writing was on the wall. It was pretty obvious CVS/Caremark had jumped over the number one PBM in the field MedCo.....

How so?

Well, the increased ownership in Generation Health that CVS/Caremark laid down was the way.....

The newest of the benefits management companies.....this time the focus was on genetic testing benefits.

Personally, this type of company should have been formed in 2005 when Insurers were hemorrhaging cash from those BRCA tests........

But, slow and deliberate do Insurers move....

On the 21st it of December it was all but decided for MedCo. Ummm, Ummmmm, who looks like this Generation Health company?????

I knew back then and now everyone knows today.

MedCo buys DNADirect.....

In 2005 when My Partner at the time Leslie Manace went out to "see" Ryan...... In what turned to be a huge probe of Leslie by Ryan, Ryan revealed......"We are interested in PGx" Which was funny because so were we. So much so that we really thought that this was the bees knees and in fact was likely the only useful and scalable testing to come out in the next 5 years.

The DTC Genomics companies were merely a twisted dream at the time.

Well, Ryan. Our hunch paid off.

By Diversifying your DTC genetic testing company into something useful such as a GBM, you have moved shrewdly. And when the PBM leader gets trumped by CVS, you reap the rewards.

I look forward to the first quarter report from MedCo to see exactly how much they acquired you for.

I have been saying on this blog that the answer for these DTC genomics companies is to follow your lead. Now the question is, which big insurer will now but a DTC genomics company?

For MedCo, I am a little disappointed that you decided to choose the exact type of company as Caremark did. There are lots of other solutions out there. I hope you still plan on increasing your footprint in this space. Because it would be bad if CVS/Caremark continues to gobble these companies up and you end up buying the second in class.....

Not that DNADirect is second in class, but Heather Shappell et.al. ARE First Class.......

The Sherpa Says: There has got to be a way to make these companies less reliant on people. Even in the genetics testing space, there is a way to automate.

Beautiful Belgium Beaches

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Breathtaking Belgium Sunset

Unbeknownst to many people, Belgium is partly situated along forty-two miles of beautiful coastline. The North Sea has one of the most beautiful sweeps of soft, white sand, making these beaches the ideal spot for activities such as walking, jogging or playing different sports. More preferable in the summer, tourists flock to this spot to experience the beauty these beaches have to offer. One thing to be aware of is that the water stays pretty cool even during the summer. So, if you are the type of person who prefers Mexico-type water temperatures, you might want to consider a different vacation destination this time.

Knokke Beach Seashells

Whether you are traveling for the best seafood, water sports or places to tan, Belgium is the perfect vacation spot for those looking for a memorable vacation. A more specific location to look out for in Belgium is Knokke-Heist, one of the most beautiful resort destinations. Located right along the water, this spot is known not only for its expensive surroundings, but it is predominantly admired for its beaches which are decorated with beautiful sand dunes. This particular spot along the coastline provides a perfect getaway for both romantic couples and family vacations. Knokke is also well-known for its unforgettable restaurants and adorable Bed and Breakfasts, so make your way over to this scenic destination next time you find yourself in Belgium.

Related Posts:

Photos (in order of appearance):

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1994 Crown Victoria – Broken Shift Cable

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can anyone tell me how in the world does your gear-shifting cable break. I mean not to mention that the steering column was just replaced because the old one went completly out, how do you explain my cable coming a-lose. The mechanic say's the only way that could happen is if someone broke it in the

The Last of the Shuttle Missions

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Some of the last of the best. (From left) Mission Specialist Nicholas Patrick, Pilot Terry Virts, Mission Specialists Robert Behnken and Kathryn Hire, Commander George Zamka and Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson. Image credit: NASA

I am encouraging everybody to get up early on Sunday morning (yeah, like that will happen) and watch Endeavour lift off to the International Space Station.  We are coming down to the end of the shuttle missions.

That’s right, there are just four scheduled missions left before the US takes a back seat in human space flight.  Oh sure a lot of people are putting a happy face on this while one is NASA (like they have a lot of choice) ,  I bet those employees who will be getting the pink slips and adding to the problems the country has going think differently.  With any luck they can get business in the private space industry.  The rest of the happy faced lot are the ones seeing dollar signs because they are sure (they think) to get money to get ahead.  That’s all well and good and everything I’d just like to see a good reliable commercial vehicle that is human certified BEFORE we decide to kill the NASA programs.  But what do I know.

This mission will be STS-130 when it leaves the pad on its 13 day mission to deliver Node 3 also known as Tranquility and the Cupola.  The Cupola is a robotic control station that can get a 360 degree view around the ISS.

The crew: Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts,  Mission Specialists are Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire.

Oh yeah, heh, the early Sunday morning comment was because the launch is going to take place at 4:39 AM!  I am going to set my recorder, I am a get up at 5 am kind of guy but even 4:30 is a stretch – Maybe if I feed the cat earlier the day before… :mrgreen: