Close Encounter of the R2 Kind

A few weeks ago I had a little time to kill on a layover. So I took the shuttle from Dulles to the Udvar-Hazy annex of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum. It's a great place for any space or plane nut to spend a few hours. It's actually on the grounds of Dulles airport and there's a $1 shuttle from the terminal.

One of the pop culture exhibits is the "Mother Ship" model used in the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." It was interesting to learn that the model was made from parts of other commercially available models such as model trains.





I was also surprised that the builders attached some very small inside jokes that were too small to appear in the final film, but can be found on the model if you search long enough. I found a tiny TIE fighter, a graveyard, and some other things.

Here's a closeup of my little buddy, R2-D2, standing on the hull:

New Compound Word

Let's say you're in the middle of explaining your new idea to a colleague. Before you can finish they make a sarcastic remark about your idea that totally derails your train of thought.

I call that getting "snide-tracked."

Winter Wonderland

O Canada! I flew in from Charlotte to Montreal via Toronto tonight. I'm always amazed at how formal and high strung the customs folks are. They're very stern! I thought Canadians were kind, easy going folks. But every time I come in I get the 3rd degree and they don't seem interested in any tomfoolery!

I'm sitting in my hotel room at the Aloft hotel at the Montreal airport (YUL.) The roads around the hotel are pretty clear but the snow is piled up as high as 6 to 8 ft on the edges of the parking lot. If only the kids could see it!

Separated at birth?

Blago! Vinny! Together again!

Antoher Liberal Conundrum...

Barack Obama was swept into the Presidency by (the promise of) a wave of change. He was able to build excitement throughout the nation for a complete change of course from the preceding 8 years of sheer hell. (By the way, please disregard the first 6.5 years of unchecked real estate appreciation.) So, change is what the people want and change is what he will deliver.

He even convinced voters in NC to get on board that train of change. All good. In fact, record numbers of new voters registered including people who for one reason or another decided not to vote in previous elections (uh-oh.) These people do apparently watch a lot of television.

They voted along party lines, thinking that all democrats represent change, and all republicans represent a failed system.

You know who ended up in our Governor's seat? A candidate who has been in the capitol for 22 years! Who lost? A maverick Mayor from Charlotte who would have shaken up the legislature, fought for lower taxes, and directed some much needed attention to the western part of the state.

They weren't for change after all.

And that's another liberal conundrum.

Auto industry bailout

Well here is the first battle of our next President's term. Yes, I know his term hasn't officially started yet...not sure if he knows that.

The US auto industry, which has been pillaged for decades by union slimeballs, is finally almost out of cash. They had a good run, in fact, during the 1990's era of cheap gas who didn't have an SUV? In fact, I still have a Suburban, one of the kings of the guzzlers. That's a long story in itself. Suffice it to say it was poor judgement along with poor timing. We drive about 50 miles a week in it. But let's separate the car business from the truck business.

The truck lines have kept Ford and GM afloat for years. It's the car lines that are the problem. They've been getting hammered by the foreign versions which boast more appealing design, more thorough engineering, more efficient performance, and frankly more solid build quality and reliability.

In most businesses you either improve your product, cut your costs, or go out of business. The threat of going out of business is what forces the first 2 options. Why should the auto companies be immune to that possibility?

I know the impact such companies have on affiliated businesses and jobs. But I believe those will not be greatly affected. Why? Because foreign companies are making their cars here now! I see this as an opportunity for the foreign manufacturers to have access to all of those side industries and labor.

Where will this have the most impact? In Michigan of course and upon the union members who are sucking at the teat of the auto companies. Who supports the unions? President-elect Obama.

I smell trouble brewing.

Let the car companies go bankrupt. Let the unions fizzle. Then let new companies rise from the ashes. Then a new crop of workers who appreciate their jobs and hopefully don't want to drive their companies into the ground will arise.

Don't reward poor performance and corruption at the taxpayers expense!

Things a liberal robot might think

I am a loyal and devoted liberal Democrat.
I believe Republicans are bad and their policies are evil.
I believe Republicans are narrow-minded fascists.
I do not agree with their choices.
Colin Powell is a Republican.
And Colin Powell endorses Obama.
So Colin Powell’s choice must be bad.
But I think Obama is a good choice and I am a liberal Democrat.
Therefore do I agree with a conservative Republican?
Illogical, illogical, must compute!