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Went to a talk last night with George Takei and John Cho (both Sulus from the Star Trek films) at UCSD. George was very eloquent. They both talked about the role a bit. Then the moderator asked them about their childhoods, and George talked about growing up in an internment camp. Then they went over to John who didn't say anything for a second. "I have no idea how I follow _that_" he finally said. George Takei was taken from his home in LA to a Japanese internment camp when he was 5, because he was Japanese and the Japanese had just attacked Pearl Harbor. All his family's money was taken. Their house was sold. All their possessions were taken. They were stripped naked. They were first imprisoned in a horse stall; their family of four was in one stall. They all got sick from sleeping on dung, but fortunately survived. They were then moved from camp to camp over the next five years, ending up in a mosquito infested camp on a bayou in Arkansas. And every morning they'd line everyone up in the mud and forced them to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. And every time he got to the "with liberty and justice for all" part he'd look around the prison camp they were in and think that perhaps that America was fibbing about that part. He also talked about growing up as a gay man, and how he had to hide who he was for decades from a Hollywood that would have fired him instantly if they had known. Finally he was able to come out in 2005 and admit to the relationship he'd had for the past 20 years. In 2008 they were married, and when they re-outlawed gay marriage in California later in 2008, they were both amused, thinking about what a fun court case it would be if republicans tried to forcibly divorce them. Then Prop 8 was overturned and it was a moot point. His unique perspective - a man who has had his rights taken away TWICE by America - has led him to be very politically active. When the US government finally paid him reparations for throwing him in jail for four years he donated it all to an Asian civil rights group. He's also very aware how tenuous people's rights are and how easily they can be taken away. He talked about FDR, a guy he otherwise respected, giving in to fear and starting up the internment camp program. And he cautioned that if you start with a guy that does NOT have the sort of morals that FDR had, then the damage he can do to civil rights will be that much greater. His words - “I consider it my responsibility as an American citizen to actively participate, particularly because I know my childhood imprisonment - the unjust imprisonment. If we don't participate, if we don't educate our fellow Americans to the vulnerability of our democracy, how fragile it can be, then we're not being responsible citizens.” Sometimes we forget how fragile our rights are.

He has a twin, he can do both jobs

Aww geez. Let's see... The museum should sue Ulis for payment of the bill. Ulis should sue Blevins for invasion of privacy and public slander. The museum should sue Blevins for fraudulently obtaining the invoice. Ulis should sue the museum for sending the invoice to Blevins. Can Blevins sue anybody? Anyway, this should all happen on Judge Judy so we can all watch, munch popcorn, and laugh.

Not where I was in the 70s. Or 60s. Even "Eeny meeny" had its words changed.

I do think Biden waiting till after the RNC was a stroke of genius and the more I think about it, the more the timing seems carefully calculated. It's genuinely hilarious as an outside observer watching the MAGA crowd scratching round for something to use as the "hook" to pin on her. Aside from the lame "DEI Hire" thing which doesn't stand up given her background, they don't seem to have anything credible at all.

Something that seems to be resonating well is just how magnanimous it has been of Biden to step down and put country over personal gain. It is a stark contrast to GOP cult following of Trump

Hello, We are thinking about converting a Cessna 182 to an electric Cessna 182 only for Skydive purpose. The project task is: Flight autonomy 30 min + 5 min reserve 2-3 flights at FL100 or FL1200 Quickly replaceable battery (a few minutes) Battery charging during descending Fast battery charger Unchanged center of gravity. What is your opinion? would such a plane find application in the world of Skydiving?

Where is the "Skydive 024" dropzone. Rules in that country may be radically different than the USA. It might be that 100 octane low-lead gasoline is becoming scarce in your country. Last week I was looking at an electric-powered Pipistrel trainer that works at a flying school in Campbell River, B.C. Canada. If I were you, I would start by talking with Pipistrels' engineers. Another source would be the engineers at Harbour Air (Vancouver, B.C. Canada) who test-flew an electric-powered DHC-2 Beaver a couple of years ago and are hoping to convert a fleet of Cessna 208 Caravans to electric power. Harbour Air's short scheduled flights best match the mission profile of jump-planes. Most of Harbour Air's scheduled flights from Vancouver, Nanaimo, Victoria, Seattle, etc. are last less than and hour. Their chief advantage is landing their floatplanes (Cessna 208 Caravans, DHC-2 Beavers, DHC-3 turbine Otters and DHC-6 Twin Otters) in the inner harbour, close to major businesses, tourist attractions, courts, provincial legislature, etc.

Yeah, I heard a kid say it the other way and asked my mother about it, and she said that wasn't a word we used. Wendy P.

Great comment I saw on the DEI claim over on Xitter: "In 1991, was Clarence Thomas really the nation's most qualified judge to put on the Supreme Court, or was he a DEI hire?"

In the ongoing saga of the MAGA toady ex-county clerk (Mesa County CO), she just learned that even a corrupt SCOTUS isn't a dependable crime partner. Rejected by Neil Gorsuch. U.S. Supreme Court denies former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters’ bid to halt criminal case

It was probably different for us. Here in Winnipeg there were very few black people at the time. None that I knew personally. The N word was used in the usual childhood rhymes and we used it against each other. Not black people. It wasn't really about racism. Our particular flavour of racism involved fear and distrust of native peoples. This would be early 70s at the latest. When I became an older teenager I began to understand why it was wrong.

https://thedbcooperhijacking.wordpress.com/2024/07/22/cooper-con-organizer-eric-ulis-defaults-on-4700-bill-owed-to-the-seattle-museum-of-flight/ I felt this was important enough to post for anyone who has bought tickets or flights or plans to.

Poor Elon. Right after he got a new commitment for stupidly huge stock options if he drives Tesla sales and profits to new targets.It seems as if since he got tangled up with Trump everything he does, goes bad. To think that Joe wants to leave the planet on Musk's Starship.

Seen elsewhere: The "Back the Blue" crowd is supporting a convicted felon and rapist over a former DA and California state AG. Go figure.

I posted this on FB a few weeks ago. I had a very special day on Saturday July 6th. I spent the day at Skydive Perris with friends. We were there to JUMP THE JET!! Perris has had a McDonnel Douglas DC9 since about 2006. I last made a jump from it in 2007. It was a very good experience and I cried that it sat at Perris mostly unused and un-jumped since then. FYI, info in the 3 paragraphs below have not been fact-checked, they are just my understanding of the situation. Over the past several years the owners of the DZ, Ben, Diane, Melanie and Pat Conatser spent nearly a million dollars (or more) to; extend the runway, update the avionics and sort other details. The biggest sticking point in flying the plane and jumpers was finding pilots that are both rated in type and current (there are not many DC9s still flying). Perris was able to find a qualified crew based in Miami who fly for a South American airline. Bottom line, the Conatsers spent vast amounts of money and sweat equity to bring the DC9 back on-line for jumping, very likely with no chance of ever getting full payback for their efforts. This may not technically meet the definition of altruism, but it’s close enough for me and I am very grateful for their efforts. Blah Blah Blah, on to the jump. A typical ride to altitude in a skydiving plane is a cramped, sweaty affair. About 20 of us are either packed in a$$hole to belly button or side to side on unpadded benches. Climbing to 13000 feet AGL takes 18 – 20 minutes as we spiral up while listening to the turbine powered propellers claw us to altitude. Its quite nice when the door finally opens and we exit the plane into the 100 MPH propblast from the side of the fuselage. The jet? So much different. Seventy of us sit in nicely padded airline seats that are far superior to current airline seating with the evil minimum pitch that packs people into “economy plus”. Even with a backpack on there is plenty of leg room as we sit belted in place. The energy / fear / excitement in the jet is palpable. Nearly everyone is making their first jet jump and even those with thousands of jumps are back to the excitement of student status jumps. Takeoff and climb to altitude are quiet. Just like you experience when you fly on Southwest. The air conditioning works and the ride up is comfy. But, it is a VERY SHORT ride to altitude. From takeoff roll to jump run takes 6 -7 minutes! The greenlight goes on and we start down the aisle to the “door”. Remember, this is a DC9, very similar to a Boeing 727 (the airplane that DB Cooper chose to hijack since it has a ramp under the tail and facilitated his jump with hundreds of thousand of $$). We get to the ramp (no steps) and launch into the sky ocean. I back looped out and had a great view of the jet flying away and other jumpers flying out. At that point it was just another skydive, though one where due to the exit speed and dawdling jumpers ahead of me in line, I opened a long way from the DZ, but that’s another story. What else stands out? The “flight attendants” giving the safety briefing (FDA mandated). The flight crew who gave up their holiday with family and friends to come to Perris. All the work that the Perris staff did to make the jumps and Boogie a success. Talking to Ben and Diane Conatser and just seeing / feeling their joy at making this happen. Yes, I’m looking forward to doing this again without waiting another 17 years. BSBD

They are right to be shitting themselves. In less than a week the betting odds have drop from 10 to 2.4 for Harris and Trumps have started moving upwards and currently at 1.6. It seems there is a sigh of relief that it isn’t two Geriatric old men fighting to stay in the Whitehouse. The GOP have screwed themselves by making the whole conversation about age and mental acuity and not policy. The dems should go crazy reposting and Tagging Trump in this post of his!

GOP Rep. Introduces Articles Of Impeachment Against Kamala Harris —Though Political Stunt Is Bound To Fail When you can't get the votes with your policies, try anything other than fixing the policies.

To be fair Trump may have more court time than Harris.

Yes, it is. So what part of: "To the best of my knowledge she is not a felon, sexual predator, proven fraud, six time bankrupt, or pathological liar." is it that you have a hard time understanding, because Trump is all of those things, and you know it full well. Harris's time in courts was spent prosecuting crooks. Trump's time in courts was spent being a defendant on account of being a crook.

Yes of course. You are just the guy who reposts the offensive meme and then says it has nothing to do with you, you are just passing on the message. Well.....let me tell you, that shit fools no one.

seen any videos of trump speaking? She could be standing on her head and laughing like a hyena and she'd still present better than he does.

Black and a Woman, got it. 55 Things You Need To Know About Kamala Harris Politico 2020 Black and a Woman, got it. As to compared to a racist, rapist, convicted felon, admitted fraudster, ex multiple bankrupt,....... oh well for some facts are irrelevant.

City Attorney & District Attorney of San Francisco. Attorney General of California (elected twice). But she has no 'experience or capability to problem solve or manage a complex task' Sure. Right.