We did so go to the Moon

I'm not sure everyone is aware of this but there are a few people who think we didn't land on the Moon back in 1969. To hear them tell it the whole thing was fabricated. Made up. A vicious lie supporting whatever pet conspiracy theory they've concocted.

NASA has proven them wrong.






The NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been orbiting the Moon and recently sent back these photos of the Apollo landing sites (it's orbit hasn't taken it over Apollo 12 yet). These photos show the Lunar Descent Modules, scientific experiments left behind and even tracks in the lunar dust left by astronauts.

I've always marveled at the folks who think the whole thing was a put on. Do they need attention that badly? Is it simply beyond their imagination to think we could have accomplished such a feat? I mean if the freakin' Mythbusters debunk your evidence, your conspiracy theory doesn't hold water.

The video of Buzz Aldrin punching a spectacularly ignorant conspiracy theorist is here because I like to watch astronauts punch spectacularly ignorant people.

New Sigg Water Bottles up at Cafe Press

Have you seen these new aluminum water bottles? You can stay hydrated and keep plastic out of landfills at the same time. If you buy my new "Pretentious Metal Water Bottle" design you can do all that and take a poke at yourself in the process. Nothing says cool like self-deprecating humour!

Choose from the pictured model or one of our other clever designs over at Rust Belt Pop.

Thomas Friedman on Why Cap & Trade will Benefit Us

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has an excellent article up explaining why putting a price on carbon emissions will enable the United States to lead the world in the production of clean energy.

Here’s the key point on energy from the draft report of the president’s Economic
Recovery Advisory Board: “If the U.S. fails to adopt an economywide carbon
abatement program, we will continue to cede leadership in new energy technology.
The U.S. is now home to only two of the ten largest solar photovoltaic producers
in the world, two of the top ten wind turbine producers and one of the top ten
advanced battery manufacturers. That is, only one-sixth of the world’s top
renewable energy manufacturers are based in the United States. ... Sustainable
technologies in solar, wind, electric vehicles, nuclear and other innovations
will drive the future global economy. We can either invest in policies to build
U.S. leadership in these new industries and jobs today, or we can continue with
business as usual and buy windmills from Europe, batteries from Japan and solar
panels from Asia.”

Green energy isn't a boondoggle or an issue only important to the left. Energy sustainability is good for the U.S. because it means we can reduce how much oil we import, keeping those dollars home. Even if we have coal and gas reserves to sustain us, the rest of the world doesn't. They will need nuclear, wind and solar and we should be ready to sell them the essential technology they will need. Friedman is correct in asserting that fourth place is not a good position for the U.S. to be in when it comes to clean energy technology. Growing pains now may be worth a gold rush later.

UFCW Local 880 is Picking on Henry Nemenz

I would like to thank Don Shilling and the Vindicator for publishing an article Sunday regarding the United Food and Commercial Worker union's picketing of Henry Nemenz's grocery stores. UFCW Local 880 has made a habit of placing informational pickets outside grocery stores owned by Mr. Nemenz and ignoring other non-union stores. These pickets inform shoppers the stores are not union shops. They have done so at his Hubbard IGA location (now closed), Sharon Sav-a-Lot, Poland Sav-a-Lot and his Struthers location.

As a resident of Hubbard I was embarassed to see paid picketers ruin a business in the community. Mr. Nemenz took over a closed store, the former Patton's IGA, and became the anchor for McConnells' plaza. He invested money in upgrading the store, hired Hubbard residents and gave people on the west side of town a place to shop. UFCW Local 880 members helped put those people out of work by driving away customers. Now those Hubbard residents have to work elsewhere, the city lost tax revenue and McConnell's plaza has a large, unoccupied store where a thriving business once stood. They did this even as the recession was beginning to grip the area.

We know UFCW Local 880 is picking on Mr. Nemenz because they ignore other non-union stores like Hubbard's Shop & Save and Brookfield's Mr. D's. I believe the union is infuriated that Mr. Nemenz has carved out a profitable niche in the local grocery economy and has done so without their assistance. These informational pickets have gone on for years. We all understand that the stores are not union shops. And you know what? We don't care.

One of the greatest things I have seen was the friends and families of Hubbard IGA workers stage counter pickets against the UFCW Local 880 in Hubbard. They kicked them off their sidewalk by showing up early in support of the workers and showed the union that they wouldn't be bullied. Perhaps it's time to do so again. The comments section of the Vindicator story has a thread where people are considering counter picktes at the Poland and Struthers locations. A way of telling UFCW Local 880 that their paid picketers are not the only ones who can voice an opinion. We did it in Hubbard so it can be done elsewhere. After all, this Local does not own the sidewalk and they certainly do not have any more right to it than those who want to oppose their bullying tactics.

Small Ships Revue 2009

The annual Small Ships Revue took place in Sharon, PA last night before a large crowd. Here is some video. Note the water balloons being thrown by the spectators.

I think the G.I. Joe Dragonfly helicopter is my favorite.










The G.I. Joe Dragonfly helicopter.

Father's Day in a Recession

Being a father is a tough job in the best of times. From the moment you are handed a blanket swaddled bundle of screaming joy, you realize just how profoundly your life changes. Here is a human being that is completely dependent on you. Once that initial bolt of fear passes and you can feel your fingers and toes again, you understand that your level of responsibility just ratcheted up about 100 levels. For me, that was when I understood that 'career' was more important than 'job'. I needed a long term plan to provide for these little guys. Trying to keep to that plan in this economic chaos is what gets you out of bed at three in the morning.

The company I work for, an award winning, locally owned organization that provides the Mahoning Valley with an innovative success story has been tossed about on these troubled waters just as thousands of other companies have. There have been lay-offs and pay cuts, just as there have been at other companies but people get rattled when the grim spectre of unemployment reaches for them and those they work with closely. This uncertainty is what drives fathers to strive harder and pray that they can come out of the other side of this recession with their job intact.

As the uncertainty of continued employment begins to creep into our life we hope that the bulwarks we've built will be enough to sustain us should the worst happen. Savings, 401k plans, 529 college plans and mutual fund investments are the tools we use to provide for our families. We begin to cut back on the little things that make life fun, canceling HBO, skipping trips to Chuck E. Cheese's and cutting back on gifts for special occasions. You start to count how many mortgage payments are in the bank and how many payments are left on the car.

But there is only so much worrying you can do. Trips to the park are free and playing catch in the backyard costs nothing but time. Keeping up on the little things (and bigger things) that need work around the house become teaching moments and bonding memories. Cook outs, board games and watching WALL-E are all opportunities to remember that being a dad is about much more than providing for a child's financial well being. It's important, to be sure, but it's only one aspect of a much larger process.

A wise woman once wrote "Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind,the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday." Well, she has a point. Fretting about the loss of a job is useless. Either you are needed or not and if you suddenly find yourself without a place to go on Monday morning it simply means that you've been given an opportunity to change your life. Take a deep breath and think about how you will remember this in twenty years. Think about how you'll reminisce about how things were so bad in 2009 that even you lost your job. And remember that how you deal with adversity on this level is something else you'll be teaching your children.

The People Behind the Car Warranty Robo Calls

Fox News has an article up explaining who was behind this year's surge of robo calls hawking car warranties. The scam has degenerated into the perpetrators turning on each other (no honor among thieves?).

It's actually a very amusing article. Now that they have been drawn out where we can all see them it looks like a guy with a criminal record (no surprise), a guy who claims he was duped and a guy who invented spoofing technology. It was his programming that made our Caller ID's display numbers that couldn't be traced. According to the article, these are the "masterminds" behind the scam:

— Christopher D. Cowart, 47, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., owns
Transcontinental Warranty, a Delaware company based in Fort Lauderdale. A
graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University, Cowart likes to read, travel and
play golf in his spare time. He also maintains a Facebook page and uses a
LinkedIn profile to advertise his latest business ventures.

— James A. Dunne, 36, of Daytona Beach, Fla., owns Florida-based Voice
Touch with his wife, Maureen. Dunne has a checkered legal past, including
charges of filing a false report of a bomb that landed him six months in jail in
1991. He was most recently arrested in 2001 for indecent exposure, but those
charges were later dismissed.

— Maureen E. Dunne, nee Maureen Geisen, is James Dunne's wife. Little
information can be found pertaining to her.

— Damian P. Kohlfeld, 35, of Valparaiso, Ind., is the owner of Network
Foundations, which is based in Chicago. Kohlfeld allegedly supplied the
technical know-how for the alleged telemarketing scheme employed by all three
companies. The Arizona State University graduate has more than a decade of
experience writing software and building computer networks. His latest hit,
according to the FTC, was a "spoofing" device that tricked caller ID
systems.

So now you know who to chase after if your number was on the Do Not Call registery and you were receiving calls selling car warranties. In fact, maybe you could look up their number and give them a call. I'm sure they would be glad to hear from their millions of potential customers. After all, these folks like to use the phone to stay in touch.