NEWS AND STUFF 9

by Anonymous 4:48 AM 0 COMMENTS

You may have noticed that my posting and commenting has dropped off this past week. Work has been very busy, and I've been preparing to leave Korea. I should have most of the difficult paperwork done. So, I'll be posting more this week. It's been a while since I have done a NEWS AND STUFF, so let's start there.
This week we have some sports, flooding, a NASA bungle, and my thoughts on the BLM, in Utah.


The Iranian woman's rugby team take the field wearing headscarves and track warm-ups
There are two ways to look at this. One way is to say look how backward and ridiculous an Islamic republic can be. Or, look how far women have come in Iran. Sure, they looked ridiculous, but a few years ago a woman's rugby team would not have been possible. I can't imagine the extra clothing is good for mobility or hydration. Perhaps it's time for Nike to come out with the Air Burqa?


Pakistan floods
The estimate is that 1,200 people are dead, and the total could climb to over 3,000. Over a million people have been affected by the flooding. The area hit is in northwest Pakistan, an area known as a Taliban stronghold.


Space station loses AC
The international space station had a malfunction in the cooling system that caused a pump to shut down. NASA says only half the station was down, and that the six member crew was in no danger. What has happened to NASA? I know things break from time to time, but this kind thing seems to happen a lot. We are still using the junkie shuttles, which were second rate technology 35 years ago. It's frustrating to watch us move backward.


BLM vs. Utah dirt Road dispute
For decade state officials in Utah and Washington's own Burrow of Land Management have been disputing over who controls many dirt roads in the state. Now the BLM is caving a bit and inviting state officials to sit down and talk. As someone who is from the area and understands this issue, let me explain:

The BLM is absolutely worthless! They are a pox upon the people of the mountain west region. A large part of my libertarian leanings, come from watching the federal government mismanage and control our lands. The BLM makes the Department of Education look like a productive and affective organization. If Obama dissolved the BLM tomorrow, and turned the land over to the states, I would seriously consider getting a hope and change bumper sticker.


The G.O.A.T. gets his due
On August 7th the greatest football player to ever step onto a field will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I know that there are a lot more important things going on in the world than sports, but this is an occasion I must recognize. Jerry Rice was a great inspiration to me growing up. As a kid I remember watching him and the 49ers dominate week after week. I still have hundreds of his football cards (yes hundreds).

No doubt, most pro athletes get far more attention than they deserve, but Jerry was something special. While his statistics dwarf all others, it was his work ethic that made me look up to him. While others were shooting commercials, Jerry was perfecting his game. I'll share my favorite story about him:

It was a hot day of PRACTICE. Jerry lined up and beat a double team to score a touchdown. During the play he was screaming. After scoring he immediately threw off his helmet. A wasp had flown into the ear-hole of his helmet and was biting him during the play. Any normal person would have taken off the helmet and stepped aside from practice for a moment, but not Jerry.

If everyone had half this kind of dedication to their jobs, America would not be in the trouble it is in right now. He credits his work ethic to his father, a brick layer, who would take Jerry to work with him on projects during the summer.




STUFF
Tomorrow I will update the Hall of Fame with ten new posts for the month of August.