On Wednesday August 27th, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Mythbusters will take on one of the biggest myths ever, that the Apollo Moon landings were faked.

Adam and Jamie will tackle the photos and the claim that they were shot in a studio as well as look at claims that the video footage of the astronauts 'hopping' around the moon were created by simply slowing down footage shot on Earth. Grant, Tori, and Kari will take on how the footprint could be so defined and how the flag could flutter in a such dry, vacuum world. Finally Adam and Jamie will travel to New Mexico to see if they can see catch a reflection off one of the three laser reflectors left on the moon at the Apollo landing sites by the astronauts.

via wired.com

Neil Armstrong brzmi jakby powiedział:

That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

A przez lata rozbrzmiewała dyskusja, że powinien powiedzieć bardziej dramatycznie, gramatycznie i poprawnie:

That's a one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

Tak, właśnie ta jedna literka jest powodem do krytyki człowieka, któremu się chciało lecieć taki kawał drogi w próżni! No więc właśnie przy tej okazji chciałem uprzedzić, że ten blog nie jest dla purystów językowych! Pisałem o tym w pierwszym poście i powtórzę to przy tej okazji:

Jeżeli jesteś purystą językowym albo chcesz komentować moją ortografię albo gramatykę, albo mówić mi co bym mógł zrobić lepiej, to wyjdź z tej strony! No! Sio!

Since Michael Jackson proclaimed himself the King of Pop, us here at Random Ramblings proclaim ourselves the Kings of Pop Culture. We knew there had to be some good that would come out of all those years of reading Rolling Stone and Spin (countless Trivia victories, for example).  This love for useless knowledge has branched out now to listening to various podcasts, and it was in this way that we heard any interesting claim.  Chad Johnson, wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, was being interviewed on Pardon the Interruption.  And he claimed that he knew inner city guys back home in Liberty City, FL that could destroy Michael Phelps, he of the 1,876 Gold Medals in Beijing.

Now, on first listen, we rejected this theory outright, since NFL wide receivers seem to feel like they are up there with God, Superman, and Billy Corgan (ok, ok, Superman is a little out of place in that list. Give us a break).  But we realized we have wondered the same thing: what if something amazing happened and we only had eyewitnesses and their word? It could be possible, although in the age of Youtube not very.  On quite a few trips to the beach with our good friend The National Evil, we have asked him the same question: what if a giant hand came out of the water, then immediately went back down? We would see it, and we both would know we had not imagined it, but no one else would believe us (but deep down we would not care, because that would be awesome).

Chad Johnson has a point that inner city youth might not be able to showcase their talents in the Olympics. But by that same logic, maybe affluent athletes do not have a chance to flourish in city games.  For every child in the ghetto that might be amazing at tennis, there might be a country club kid who would set the world on fire in stickball. I guess we'll never know, unless stickball becomes an Olympic Sport (which it should, along with Ultimate Frisbee, Connect Four, and Contra).  

This makes us question everything. What if all the greats throughout history who are recognized as the firsts at what they did were really 5th or 6th? What if the Wright Brothers, Albert Einstein, Roger Bannister, and Neil Armstrong merely got the publicity for their accomplishments, but were not really first? What if neither the chicken nor the egg were first?  

Keep your eyes open.  Nothing is as it seems.  Chad Johnson has just woken us up Matrix style, and made us realize that we are zombies, believing the "facts" we have been force fed our entire lives. Thank you, Ocho Cinco. Thank you.

With Islam it seems to be - if you repeat a lie enough times it will be believed.

Another notable examples of this:

Neil Armstrong - first man to walk on the moon.

A few years ago some Muslims wishing to gain converts created another story for proselytization purposes. One of them includes Neil Armstrong. The myth as propagated by scores of Islamic websites is that while on the moon Neil and others heard the Islamic call to prayer. While visiting Egypt he again heard this same call to prayer and immediately converted to Islam saying that it was the same call to prayer he heard on the moon. (Another myth goes that he also saw the Qur'an floating around on the moon).

To back up this 'creative truth' Muslims have also invented fake transcripts and countless other documents including fake references to Neil's biography. However, the facts of the matter according to Neil Armstrong himself:

1) He did not hear the call to prayer on the moon

2) He did not convert to Islam

He makes reference to this countless times and the US State Department also released a memo to embassies worldwide informing them that Neil was not interested in hosting or being a guest to Islamic events and that he has not nor has intentions of converting to Islam.

Anyway, back to the issue at hand. I found a very good article explaining why Islam is not the fastest growing religion in the world and I will copy from it.
(www.FastestGrowingReligion.tk)

Conclusion

From the statistics available we can cleary see that the fastest growing religion in the world in real terms is Christianity. Where Islam gains 23 Million new adherents annually, Christianity gained 30 Million new adherents in that same period. Thus, Christianity is the fastest growing religion in the world.

In terms of the question of  gaining the most religions by conversions, again that title goes to Christianity. By converisons from other religions, Christianity tends to be the most effective by a long shot with over 2 Million conversions followed by the 800,000 conversions recorded by Islam in that period.

Greetings, all!

My name is Dr. Barnaby T. Moon, world-renowned explorer and adventurer. I have climbed the highest peaks and hacked my way into the deepest jungles, and now I shall relate my adventures to the captive audience that the Internet marvelously provides me.

I will begin, quite appropriately, at the beginning, and now tell you the tale of my very first adventure!

I grew up a poor country boy, far from the wonders that the world has to offer. My father was a lowly farmer and part-time pig racer. His winnings from the pig track were just barely enough to feed us, as he was payed primarily in pig fat.

One summer eve, after a supper of pig lard, I headed out to the barn to take care of my most joyful of duties, tending to the sheep. Oh how I loved those sheep, and oh how they loved me. Just as I was in the thick of things, a blinding light shot through the barn. I was startled and immediately pulled up my pants so that I could go outside and investigate this disturbance. I was met by a most glorious sight, an enormous flying saucer from another world! A door opened and light came pouring out. Two figures emerged from the light.

"Gee golly whiz willikers!!," I exclaimed.

I was both amazed and terrified. The figures came towards me. They were tall and gray with big black eyes. I'm fairly sure that one of them had a bag of Reese's Pieces, but that might have been something that I saw in a movie, I can't remember. I'd only ever seen aliens in my comic book stories and in the dream I frequently had where I was abducted and then would wake up with a sore anus.

There was a moment of awed silence before one of them spoke, telepathically. He told me that I had been chosen by The Grand Council to undertake a great mission. They'd been monitoring me for years, they said. They bade me to board their ship. I took one last look at the tiny farmhouse from whence I came and climbed aboard.

They told me that they wished to provide me the utmost comfort, but that it was necessary to perform experiments, mostly involving my anus. This all seemed strangely familiar. I agreed, and endured their probings. They told me that it was their grim duty, but they seemed to be smiling a lot. I questioned them about this. "Our alien bodies are built with mouths that are upside down. Therefore, when we are frowning, it looks like we are smiling. Seriously, would we lie to you?" I said no, of course not. At that point, they all frowned and began laughing. How queer, I thought. Then they resumed probing me.

After days of probing, we arrived at their homeworld, The Moon. I left their ship and entered the Great Temple of the Moon. There I was greeted by Earth's ambassador to The Moon, Neil Armstrong. He and the Moononianites briefed me on my mission. The Moon had been overtaken by an evil tyrant. It was my duty to overthrow this tyrant and reclaim the Moon in the name of the Moononianites. "By now you will have guessed the identity of this evil overlord," they told me. "Zombie Hitler."

Of course, I thought.

My plan was outlined and I set off across the vast wastelands of The Moon on a rocket sled which the Moononianites told me was powered by pure imagination, which was stored in a large tank labeled "jet fuel". I made my way to The Sea of Tranquility, where I discovered King Zombie Hitler's Crystal Fortress.

I knocked upon the massive gates until I received a response from a loudspeaker.

"Hello, who eez dere?," said the voice from the speaker.

"My name is Barnaby T. Moon, you filthy fucking Kraut and I've come to kick the shit out of Hitler's bloody old zombie ass!!," I shouted.

"Okay, do you hev an appointment?"

"Hell fucking no."

"Alright, vell I think ve can fit you in today, vat eez your name?"

"Barnaby T. Moon, ass-kicking motherfucker!"

"Alright zen, just ztep back und let me open deez gates vor you."

The gates opened and I went in. The palace was astounding, adorned with more swastikas than I'd ever seen in my life. There were swastikas on walls, furniture, people, other swastikas, etcetera, etcetera. It was clear that Zombie Hitler had a hard-on for the thing. I was led to the throne room, where King Zombie Hitler sat atop his evil zombie throne, which actually didn't look that much different than a regular throne.

"Hello!," he said. "I've been expecting you! You are zee vun who eez to deztroy me? How zilly of you to think zat you could do zuch a thing."

"We killed you once, we can do it again!....Motherfucker!!," I shouted.

"I arose from zee dead becauze I knew zat in zee years following the var, you all hev veakened and vill therevor be quick und zimple vork! I hev conquered zee Moon und now I shall conquer zee Earth az well. In twenty vor hourz I vill pull Germany from itz place on zee Earth und bring it here, to zee Moon. Und nozing, NOZING can ztop me!!"

"Holy crap, I'm totally going to kill you now."

"NOT UNLEZZ YOU CAN REZIZT MINE NAZI ZUPER VOMEN UND ZEIR HOT AND ZEXY BOZZOMS!!"

How was I to rezizt!? Their breasts heaved with hatred and bigotry, hot, sexy bigotry. I had never made love to a human woman before, and the temptation was so great that I felt my body being driven to theirs...

BUT ALAS! I abstained.

Zombie Hitler was taken aback with astonishment.

"B-but, novun haz evah rezizted zee hot und zexy Nazi Zuper Vomen! You are truly zee One!!"

"No shit, bitch!"

It was at that point that I launched into a flying dropkick straight into King Zombie Hitler's head, promptly severing it from his body and sending it flying across the room. And with that, I had won and The Moon had been returned to the noble Moononianites, who then sold it to the US government for some beads.

I took my spoils of war, the Nazi Super Women, and boy, did I take them, turning their hatred to love with my rock hard passion.

I returned to the farm to see my family one more time and to inform them that I now knew what my true life's goal was to be: to explore the world and have incredible adventures! My father was saddened that I did not want to continue on the family pig racing tradition, and cried profusely, though by this point his bodily secretions mostly came out as pig lard. I told him that I could not deny my need to explore the world, and that he was just going to have to fucking deal with it.

I threw a bindle over my shoulder and headed off in search of fame, fortune, and most importantly of all, ADVENTURE!!

That is who I am and how I came to be.

Next time I will tell you the story of my time at Adventurer College, where I honed my adventurous skills and earned my doctorate in Wonderful World Famous Adventurey!

Goodbye, dear readers!

- Dr. Barnaby T. Moon

AUGUST, 2008.

Saudações, ALTianos e ALTianas. Notícias do fronte.

Terça-feira. Primeiro post.

Provavelmente, único.

Negócio é o seguinte: Terça-feira é um dia de nada. As coisas parecem que nem andam direito, mas a gente se esforça. Adianta algo aqui, ali, e o mundo parece que fica o mesmo.

O vídeo de hoje é aquele ali de cima. Não sei do que se trata. Vejam e me digam depois, por favor.

***
05/08

- Dia Nacional da Saúde;
- Engels, Friedrich, economista alemão que, ao lado de Marx, produziu as obras que inspiraram o movimento socialista; morte, em 1895;
- Neil Armstrong, astronauta norte-americano; nascimento, em 1930;
- Carmen Miranda, cantora; morte, aos 46 anos, do coração, em Beverly Hills, Califórnia, EUA, em 1955;
- Jamaica; independência, em 1962.

So, where do i begin??? What happens to us when we die? Do we really go to that place in the sky and live a second life? I think that when we die, our spirit goes up to heaven, but i don't think we would be able to actually see, as we wont have eyes once we have died as we will just be a spirit, we wont even be able to walk...we will float, we will just be like a foggy mist. If there were just normal looking people in heaven who could walk, talk and see, i think heaven would be a very crowded place. I guess nobody has come back to tell me yet what really happens after death.

Another thing i like to think about is, are there living creatures on other planets? Scientists like to believe that there is...but if there is, what were THEY put on THEIR planet for? We don't even know why we were put on our planet...probably to go to university and get in lots of debt. I find it quite fascinating to think that there could be aliens on another planet, who probably talk about us in the same way as we talk about them, and they do their daily jobs like go to work and raise a family etc...maybe theyre just exactly the same as us in terms of how they live their lives...

Has someone really been to the moon? There are rumours that Neil Armstrong didnt really land on the moon..i'd like to know how they got cameras up there in the first place...or did he have one on his helmet or something? I always imagine the impact in space to be so strong that it wouldnt even hold a rocket.

I wonder why we have to have that 8 hours sleep to be fully awake the next day? Maybe in the future there will be some kind of energy drink that actually works so we dont have to go to sleep...just think all of the things we could be missing out on whilst we're asleep though...terrible!

I guess last but not least...why is George Bush an idiot?

tune fly me to the moon

apollo 11 lunar module komt aan op de maan (20 juli 1969)

20 juli 1969 22:56 uur

apollo 11 lunar module verlaat de maan (21 juli 1969)

apollo 11 komt terug op aarde (24 juli 1969)

laatste man op de maan (apollo 17) verlaat de maan op 14 december 1972 en komt behouden terug op aarde

Launch new dreams! Try some MP3 affirmations free. 

Some dreams are not individual, but universal. Among the universal dreams of the human race, is the dream to experience outer space. From the earliest stages of our history, humanity has been intrigued with the cosmos. How big is it? What does it mean? Are we alone?

Slowly, SpaceShipTwo (see short video) - a project funded by billionaire Sir Richard Branson and designed by American aerospace engineer Burt Rutan's Scaled Composities LLC - is emerging from the top secret shadows of its development stage. This spacecraft is part of a growing worldwide race to commercialize space travel.

47 years ago Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to orbit the Earth. He piloted his Vostok 1 in one orbit of our planet in 108 minutes. Fueled by this event, President Kennedy set a goal of reaching the moon by the end of the 1960s. Kennedy's vision culminated on July 20, 1969 when the Apollo 11 mission, commanded by Neil Armstrong, successfully landed two American astronauts on the moon.

Since those days the promise of space has been squandered by governments who were only interested in advancing their national interests; not the interests of humanity. We have returned to the more mundane drama of our petty squabbles over land, religion, and political systems. We have been distracted by the latest about Britney Spears, the cost of gasoline, and the latest pennant race.

Does the space dream still live within us? Can we muster our resources and our efforts to accomplish the greatest challenge in history - the challenge of space?

For now, this form of privatized space travel is open only to the wealthy and elite. About 200 people have put up $250,000 a piece to go weightless for five minutes some time in the next few years. There is no immediate possibility of mass space travel.

Who knows if this latest round of space enthusiasm will lead to the broader human dream of space travel and exploration. It may become just a high-priced thrill ride for jet-setters looking for new adrenaline rushes.

Nonetheless, it renews our hope that one day the beautiful night sky we stand awe-inspired in our driveways observing may be accessible to us all.

Stay inspired!

Ray

That's right, in the coming weeks, in their 106th episode the Mythbuster's will be landing on the moon. Much in the style of Neil Armstrong's landing and walk in July of 1969.

Or was it more like this?

As described by the Gallup Organization via a poll in 1999 revealed that 89% of the public believe the moon landing actually happened, while 6% did not, leaving 5% undecided on the event.

There are several major conspiracy theories including the following:

• Complete Hoax - Believe that solar activity and solar matter make it virtually impossible for such a journey.
• Partial Hoax / Unmanned Landings - Rovers and other such spacecraft have landed on the moon, but tricky camera angles and editing allow for the appearance of humans on the surface of the moon.
• Manned Landings w/ Cover Up - Some believe the landings have occurred but have been covered up to protect technology (such as gravitational manipulators) and artifacts from extraterrestrials .

Gravitational Manipulator

• Manned Landing / Fake Broadcast - Some propose that there was a landing, but the video quality was very weak therefor deemed non-viable for a television broadcast

Much like a previous post (Will Wright allows Benedict XVI to play as God) this is open to much debate. This one I personally have to say that this happened. Considering on a clear night I can see the international space station go over my house, I have to believe that almost 40 years ago that a man did in fact land on the moon. The idea is plausible enough since the moon is approximately only 3 days of travel to reach the moon, that putting a man on the moon is possible, unlike the 6 months it takes to get to our red neighbor Mars.

What do you think?

Who knows? All that can be said for sure is dedicated fans such as myself will not be disappointed by the outcome and great one-liners that may come from the show. It is set to debut on the night of Wednesday, August 27, 2008 on the Discovery Channel.

-Tim

Then boy, are you in luck:

NASA AND INTERNET ARCHIVE LAUNCH CENTRALIZED RESOURCE FOR IMAGES

WASHINGTON -- NASA and Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library based in San Francisco, made available the most comprehensive compilation ever of NASA's vast collection of photographs, historic film and video Thursday. Located at www.nasaimages.org, the Internet site combines for the first time 21 major NASA imagery collections into a single, searchable online resource. A link to the Web site will appear on the www.nasa.gov home page.

The Web site launch is the first step in a five-year partnership that will add millions of images and thousands of hours of video and audio content, with enhanced search and viewing capabilities, and new user features on a continuing basis. Over time, integration of www.nasaimages.org with www.nasa.gov will become more seamless and comprehensive.

"This partnership with Internet Archive enables NASA to provide the American public with access to its vast collection of imagery from one searchable source, unlocking a new treasure trove of discoveries for students, historians, enthusiasts and researchers," said NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale. "This new resource also will enable the agency to digitize and preserve historical content now not available on the Internet for future generations."

How many images are we talking about? Over 100,000 at present. Completely searchable. The homepage is broken down into several categories (Universe, Solar System, Earth, Astronauts) and contains an interactive timeline of the space program going back 50 years. Each search generates a page of thumbnail images - Titan calls up almost 1,500 - leading to photos, animations, audio files, and artist's renderings.

Wow. Just wow.

Damn, and I have work I need to get done this afternoon . . .

Jim Downey

(Via MeFi.)

There's an intriguing article over at Xenophilia.com that reveals supposed conversations between Capcom and the astronauts of the Apollo missions. None of it is verifiable, of course. Some is purported to have been heard by hundreds of ham radio operators scanning Nasa radio chatter during a mysterious two-minute blackout of the historic first moon landings.

As ever, I am remaining mute on my opinions. Make of it what you will.

Per la prima volta un uomo toccava la superficie di un altro pianeta.

Era il 20 luglio del 1969 e non appena Tito Stagno gridò il suo celebre "Ha toccato!!" venne prontamente smentito da Ruggero Orlando: per noi italiani lo sbarco del primo uomo sulla Luna è anche un battibecco tra i nostri due telecronisti!

Il nostro satellite naturale è stato da sempre un compagno di viaggio. Per milioni di anni ci ha osservato e forse, ogni tanto, s'è chiesto qualcosa di noi: Angelo Branduardi "Luna".

(Nota personale: il video è un vero pezzo di archeologia: per chi non lo conoscesse quello è uno dei simboli di VideoMusic la prima TV Italiana dedicata completamente alla musica.)

Certamente questa è una interpretazione molto poetica, storicamente le cose sono andate diversamente.

Negli anni '60, la corsa alla conquista del cosmo era affare quasi esclusivo dei russi. Il primo satellite artificiale lo Sputnik (1957) era loro, il primo uomo nello spazio Jurij Alekseevič Gagarin (1961) era russo, la prima donna nello spazio Valentina Vladimirovna Tereškova (1963) era russa, il primo astronauta a compiere una "passeggiata extra veicolare", cioè ad uscire dalla capsula che l'aveva portato nello spazio, Aleksej Archipovič Leonov (1965) era russo.

I russi ormai "governavano" lo spazio.

Solo nel 1962, l'America per voce del suo presidente, l'indimenticato JFK John F. Kennedy, entrava nella corsa spaziale, con lo storico discorso alla Rice University nel mese di settembre:

(Nota personale: l'anno dopo questo discorso nell'università fu aperto il primo centro di studi spaziali e nel 1981 venne scelta come deposito degli archivi per gli archivi della NASA. Alla Rice hanno parlato anche Nelson Mandela e il Dalai Lama)

Il discorso contiene due passaggi fondamentali:

"No nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in this race for space."

e

"We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

che tradotti un po' liberamente:

"Nessuna nazione che vuole essere il leader di altre nazioni può permettersi di rimanere indietro nella corsa per lo spazio"

ed

"Abbiamo scelto di andare sulla Luna in questa decade e di fare altre cose, non perché sono semplici, ma perché sono difficili".

Ed erano talmente difficili, che sotto l'amministrazione Kennedy furono stanziati qualcosa come 25 miliardi di dollari per la corsa spaziale!

JFK, non vide mai lo sbarco: fu assassinato nel novembre del 1963.

L'anno dopo, 1964, Frank Sinatra portava al successo una canzone del 1954, "In other words" conosciuta meglio, visti gli anni, come "Fly me to the moon"

Servirono solo altri 5 anni, e la luna fu conquistata!

La conquista della Luna fu uno dei risultati più alti della storia dell'umanità.

Risultato non privo di ombre.

Da quella più imponente e storicamente rilevante, che è la partecipazione al progetto dello scienziato tedesco Von Braun. Lo stesso che progettava i missili V1 e V2 per Hitler!

(Nota personale: se andate a visitare la pagina wikipedia di Von Braun, trovere una sua foto a "braccetto" con JFK)

A quelle più "risibili" che sostengono che tutto è stato girato in teatri di posa super segreti dal registra Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick nel 1968 stava terminando quel capolavoro che è "2001: odissea nello spazio".
Sembra, addirittura, che la NASA cambiò alcuni dettagli estetici delle tute spaziali dopo aver visto quelle disegnate per il film di Kubrick.

(Nota personale: se ne avere la possibilità guardatevi "2001: odissea nello spazio", molto probabilmente non ci capirete nulla ma è un film bellissimo!)

Tutto questo è "riassunto" dai R.E.M. con "Man on the moon", qui la traduzione che vi consiglio per capire appieno la canzone.

Qualcuno mi chiederà cosa ne penso.

Io personalmente non ho dubbi sul fatto che abbiamo lasciato questa terra e che gli astronauti della missione Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong e Buzz Aldrin hanno camminato sulla Luna. Anche perché oltre a quella missione ce ne sono state ben altre 8.

Lo Spazio è la nostra ultima frontiera, la nostra sfida più immensa. L'uomo da sempre esplora il mondo che gli sta attorno, compreso lo stolto che iniziava la sua scoperta guardando il dito e non la luna indicata dal saggio.

"Star Trek Enterprise"

(Nota personale: bellissimo video! Qui potete vedere spiegato il significato dei fotogrammi. Leggetelo, ne vale veramente la pena! Non è solo una sigla ma quasi una ricostruzione storica delle conquiste dell'esplorazione umana...e per scoprire una cusiosità su questa sigla!)

Ma voi cosa pensate? Ci siamo andati sulla Luna?

Al prossimo venerdì.

Lampar es lo que nuestros progenitores llamarían (en el caso de los míos con horror) "vivir al día". Es una afición a la que se adscriben cada vez más españoles: no tener la más mínima capacidad de ahorro. Cuando me fui de casa la hermana de mi ex nos dejó 400 euros. Tardamos 9 meses en devolvérselos. Un parto. Cinco años después sigo por esa senda. Sentime culpable por no tener un colchón sería absurdo, porque no puedo, así que hagamos del lampar una bandera. La contraprestación de lampar, en mi caso, está en hacer lo que quiero y ser independiente. Alto precio en una democracia capitalista, que debería estar llena de toboganes hacia ese objetivo, si no fuera porque es una gran mentira.

El tipo que está sentado en la mesa de al lado en la oficina, gana el doble que yo. Está hablando por teléfono  y acaba de decir "el libro que me regalastes", han leído bien "regalastes". Él gana el doble. Lo que le da margen para incurrir en una de las aberraciones gramaticales que más odio. Esto está así montao. Ayer me llamó mi amigo M, anda en problemas. Hace tres años me dijo que me quedara en Guadalajara, que si tragaba sería el rey, y que más valía ser el rey en las provincias, que uno más en Madrid. Vía sms me transmitió lo agobiado y hastiado que está de ese desván lleno de humedades, maloliente y herrumbroso que es el periodismo local.

Cuando es una mierda es una mierda. Lo único que nos queda es la capacidad de coger al capullo por la solapa, que sienta nuestro aliento a Brugal a un centímetro de sus ojos y gritarle "Esto es mentira", mientras se oyen, a lo lejos, cerrarse los garajes donde Bill Gates, los Beatles y Neil Armstrong fantasearon sus gestas.

M, brindemos por la vida (y sigamos lampando).

PODEMOS.

"Este es un pequeño paso para un hombre pero un gran salto para la humanidad"

Fue un 20 de Julio cuando los estadounidenses Neil Armstrong y Edwin Aldrin pisaron por primera vez la superficie lunar a bordo del Apolo XI en el año de 1969.

Este hecho parece poco en la actualidad pues ya contemplamos planes de búsqueda de vida y agua en otros planetas, todas esas ideas que antes parecieran ficticias, ideas de novela, parecen estar cruzando la línea de la ficción para pasar a nuestra realidad.

+

NASA

Where were you (or perhaps you weren't even born yet?) when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon? Today is the anniversary of that day back in 1969.

My memory is here in a previous post called, Time It Was

But, I am more interested this morning in what collective memories we all have of this particular day or any other national, international event where you remember exactly where you were when you heard the news.

In my lifetime, the moon walk is one. Alan Shepard's launch into space was another. John Glenn's first earth orbit (I guess I was a spacey girl right from the start). The Cuban Missile Crisis: the ships carrying the missiles to Cuba turning back. Assassinations of JFK. MJK. RFK. The Space Shuttle explosions, both of them. Attempt to assassinate President Reagan. Berlin Wall coming down. These are the way back ones.

What events in your life do you remember exactly where you were when you heard the news?

Look Back.

Where were you?

Tell us.

Let's remember together.

Neil Armstrong

First Man On The Moon: 21st July 1969, 12:56 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time

(Exactly 39 years before this post was published)

paul

-- President John F. Kennedy

On Sunday, July 20th, 1969, the world watched on television sets as two astronauts -- Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin -- become the first to set foot on the surface of the Moon.  Armstrong climbed down from the lunar module (called the Eagle), saying, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." 

While on the Sea of Tranquility, Armstrong and Aldrin deployed a television camera, raised the American flag, collected samples, talked with President Richard M. Nixon, set up scientific equipment, and gave millions of listeners a description of their experiences.

 The mission fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's goal of reaching the moon by the end of the 1960s.

"HOUSTON, TRANQUILITY BASE HERE.
THE EAGLE HAS LANDED."

Of course you do. That's the transmission sent to NASA Mission Control from the Moon on this date in 1969.

I was at a Boy Scout camp outside of St. Louis when it happened. That night, we all sat around a big firepit, and tried to watch a small black and white portable television with bad reception as Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin (Buzz) E. Aldrin, Jr. made the first human steps onto the Lunar surface and spoke these words (links to audio file on Wikipedia):

"That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."

And the world was changed forever.

So, where were you?

Jim Downey

(Cross posted to UTI.)

We have risen to the challenge in so many countless situations, it isn't possible to list them all. But two challenges come to mind. The first is World War II. We retooled our entire system to provide munitions and labor to ensure that we fought the war to the best of our abilities. As men moved into the military and were sent to war, women moved from the homes into the factories to pick up the baton of production.

World War II was won in large part because of superior allied armaments production. The United States greatly outproduced its allies and its enemies and, at its output peak in late 1943 and early 1944, was manufacturing munitions almost equal to the combined total of both its friends mid adversaries. Keep in mind that we entered the war on December 8, 1941. Thus, we accomplished a monumental feat in the span of just a couple of years.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

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We also sacrificed by decreasing the use of certain "luxury" items that we now consider staples - sugar being one of them. The United States used to be heavily dependent on foreign sugar supplies, and this dependence led to widespread sugar shortages during the Second World War. Cargo ships that once carried sugar imports were needed for military purposes, and the ships that were willing to make the trip overseas for food faced the risk of dangerous bombings from battle ships.

We had no choice but to ration sugar. In May 1942, sugar became the first food rationed during the war, and foreign supplies remained so unreliable that sugar was the last food removed from the rationing list in 1947—two years after the war’s end. Government posters everywhere urged Americans to change their eating habits and conserve sugar.

Arising out of World War II also were our Victory Gardens. Amid regular rationing of canned food in Britain, a poster campaign ("Plant more in '44!") encouraged the planting of Victory Gardens by nearly 20 million Americans. Gardens were planted in any available location - in backyards, on rooftops, on vacant community lots. These gardens produced up to 40 percent of all the vegetable produce consumed nationally. That is a phenomenal figure - 40%.

When the war ended, the gardens disappeared. But during that period in our history, we sacrificed; we decided that the end was worth the sacrifice.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

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Today is the 39th anniversary of the second challenge - putting a man on the moon.

The mission fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's goal of reaching the moon by the end of the 1960s, which he expressed during a 1961 speech:

"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."

And, indeed, we did accomplish that goal on July 20, 1969 - a little over eight years after President Kennedy issued his challenge. I was 21 years old and expecting our second child in September. I was riveted to the TV set every day watching news alerts and coverage. I remember the telecast when Neil Armstrong made his famous statement - "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

Photo credit: Houston Chronicle

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Our dreams were realized. As a nation we watched and held our breath as both Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin move awkwardly on the surface of the moon. We marveled at the astounding and amazing pictures not only of the moon itself but also of our gorgeous blue planet as seen from a far-off, dusty, gray orb.

These two challenges come to mind because today we face a challenge that will also require us to "retool" and "sacrifice." Our dependence on foreign oil and our own oil is, without a doubt, one of the most critical issues that we face in today's world. Other sources of energy that we rely upon - such as electricity - for our daily needs do not rise to near the level of our dependence on oil - whether from foreign sources or from our own sources.

In 1984, Tom Brokaw visited northwest France in preparation for a documentary on the 40th anniversary of D-Day. That experience left him a changed reporter, and he began his collection of anecdotes about men and women who were citizen heroes and heroines. In 1998, Brokaw published "The Greatest Generation" - the culmination of his research and his interviews. The greatest generation sacrificed and they learned to adapt to the challenge of readying for war - a war that changed the course of history.

We no longer see sacrifice as a noble and courageous way to rise to a challenge. Instead, we see sacrifice as infringing on all the modern conveniences and extravagant items we possess and use. We want our low-mileage vehicles, we don't want to ride on buses that may inconvenience us with their routes, we don't want to have to think about restructuring our lives - even a little bit - to accommodate our growing energy crisis.

With transportation accounting for 70% of our oil consumption, we must do more to avail ourselves of alternative energy sources which can be used in other areas where energy is needed. Solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy - all are sources which can help provide energy in the field of electricity and heating. And, we must do more to restructure our transportation habits to become more efficient and effective.

We are facing a monumental task in changing our paradigm of energy usage, but instead of asking why do we have to change, why not emulate the "Greatest Generation" by asking how we can change. We should view our energy crisis right alongside World War II, victory gardens, and the man on the Moon.

Let us return to a time when we asked "what can we do for our country" and not "what can our country do for us." We can and must rise to the challenges that we have so often faced as a Nation, and we must succeed - our very future rests on our success in not asking why but in asking how.

]]> http://anidealiveson.wordpress.com/?p=85 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:00:34 +0000 Nick http://anidealiveson.wordpress.com/?p=85 Posted By: Nick

 
On July 20th, 1969 the Apollo 11 mission successfully landed on the Moon. Neil Armstrong became the first human to step foot on the moon and uttered the now famous words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Only eight years had passed since President John F. Kennedy had challenged the nation to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade.

[audio=http://www.freeinfosociety.com/sounds/apollo11eagle.mp3] The Eagle has landed.
[audio=http://www.freeinfosociety.com/sounds/apollo11onestep.mp3] One small step.

From allmusic.com: Singer Reg Lindsay was the premier international star to emerge from the Australian country music renaissance that followed World War II--the first Aussie ever to appear at Nashville's landmark Grand Ole Opry, he was later awarded his own plaque along Music City's Walkway of Stars, and effectively paved the way for contemporary Australian country sensations like Keith Urban and Kasey Chambers. Born in Sydney in 1929, Lindsay was given a harmonica at the age of two, and after mastering the instrument he moved on to banjo, mandolin, guitar and fiddle. Despite his aptitude for music Lindsay initially dreamed of a career as a cattle rancher, but in 1951 he claimed top honors in an amateur talent contest sponsored by Sydney radio outlet 2SM, winning a recording deal with the Rodeo Records label. Lindsay's profile also increased in 1952 when Sydney's 2CH named him to host his own country music radio showcase--later that year, "The Reg Lindsay Show" jumped to rival 2SM, where it aired for a decade and launched the careers of a number of Australian country talents. In 1954 Lindsay wed Heather McKean, one half of the popular duo the McKean Sisters, whose own Aussie country classics include "The Gymkhana Yodel," "Yodel Down the Valley" and "The Morning Mail"--still, despite his public notoriety and relentless touring schedule, success as a performer continued to elude him. Lindsay made the leap to television in 1964, relocating to Brisbane to host The Reg Lindsay Country Hour--the series aired for eight years, culminating in the 1971 chart smash "Armstrong," a tribute to U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong that was originally penned by Kingston Trio alum John Stewart. Lindsay was no slouch as a composer himself, writing more than 500 songs during the course of his career and recording roughly 60 albums--his other hits include "July, You're a Woman," "Silence on the Line" and "Empty Arms Hotel." After launching the television hit The Reg Lindsay Country Homestead, he concentrated on cracking the U.S. market, and in 1974 made his Opry debut, dividing his time between North America and Australia for more than a decade. In 1989, Lindsay was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to the nation's musical culture--during an appearance at the 1995 Tamworth Country Music Festival he suffered a brain hemorrhage, followed by a heart attack the next year. Lindsay spent the remainder of his life in and out of hospitals, finally succumbing to pneumonia on August 5, 2008. - Jason Ankeny